Fort Ricasoli

Fort Ricasoli stands on the easternmost peninsula on the east side of the Grand Harbour. The promontory was originally known as Rinella Point or Punta Sottile ({{langx|mt|Ponta Irqiqa}}).{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HbCzLhVYkBsC|title=Malta bil chzejer tehne u li ghadda min ghaliha: L'euel parti|date=3 April 1865|access-date=3 April 2019|via=Google Books}} In 1531, two leaders of a slave rebellion and ten others who took a prominent role, who had tried to take over Fort St. Angelo and escape from Malta, were tortured and then hanged on the peninsula, which became known as Gallows' Point (Maltese: Ponta tal-Forka) afterwards. During the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, the Ottomans built an artillery battery on the peninsula in order to bombard Fort St. Elmo.{{cite book|last=Cutajar|first=Tony C.|date=2011|title=Mewt Lil Pinto!|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BlpgAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA25|publisher=Lulu|language=mt|pages=25–26|isbn=9781447841791}}

File:La Fontana Nuova, Valletta, Grand Harbour, 1664.jpg by Willem Schellinks, with Orsi Tower and battery on the extreme right]]

A small semi-circular battery which was known as San Petronio Battery, and later as Orsi battery, was built at Gallows' Point in 1602. On 18 January 1629, the Italian knight Alessandro Orsi financed the construction of a tower near the battery. It was officially called Torre San Petronio, but it was commonly known as Orsi Tower{{cite book|last1=Abela|first1=Giovanni Francesco|author-link1=Giovanni Francesco Abela|title=Della Descrizione di Malta Isola nel Mare Siciliano con le sue Antichità, ed Altre Notizie|date=1647|publisher=Paolo Bonacota|page=20|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=krRTAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA20|language=it}} or Torri Teftef by the locals.{{cite book|last=Castagna|first=P. P.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HbCzLhVYkBsC&q=1629|title=Malta bil chzejer tehne u li ghadda min ghaliha|volume=1|date=1865|language=mt|pages=160}} The name San Petronio was chosen during the rule of Grandmaster de Paola, and the name dell’Orso became much popular after the renovation of the battery itself apart from the building of the tower.{{cite journal|journal=Heritage: An Encyclopedia of Maltese Culture and Civilization|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/47776|last=Zammit|first=Vincent|date=2005|title=Lost ancient landmarks: Orsi tower|publisher=Midsea Books Ltd|volume=4|issue=64|pages=1255–1257}}{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zizJF9AAGpkC&pg=PA93|title=Malta illustrata... accresciuta dal Cte G.A. Ciantar|first=Giovanni Francesco|last=Abela|date=3 April 1772|publisher=Mallia|access-date=3 April 2019|page=93|via=Google Books}} It was also known as Torre De Falcha (Tower of the Gallows) in historic documents. Its exterior was plastered and painted with yellow ochre.{{cite journal|url=https://www.academia.edu/13694379|title=Erasing Malta's Heritage of Surfacing and Paintwork on Facades and Fortifications and, A Request to the Reader|first=Terrance M. P.|last=Duggan|date=20 July 2013|journal=Malta Today|access-date=3 April 2019}} The tower was designed by Bartolomeo Ganga.{{cite news|last=Serracino|first=Joseph|title=Dawra kulturali mal-Port il-Kbir (4)|newspaper=Orizzont|date=6 January 2018|page=20|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/51888/3/Orizzont_Dawra%20kulturali%20mal-port%20il-kbir%20%284%29.pdf}} At this point the peninsula became known as Punta dell'Orso.[https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/49014/1/Lehen%20is-Sewwa_1975_09_20_Bonnici_Arturo_Il-forti%20Ricasoli%20u%20l%20-palazz%20Bichi.pdf Bonniċi, A. (1975, September 20). Il-Forti Ricasoli u l-Palazz Bichi. Leħen is-Sewwa, pp. 3.]

The tower was built to prevent the escape of slaves from the island.{{cite journal|journal=Storja|last=Quintano|first=Anton|date=1977|title=Fort Ricasoli: A Historical Survey 1670–1798|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/25122/1/Storja%2078.pdf|issue=78|pages=164, 165|oclc=317186765}} The tower and battery were protected by a sea-filled ditch and a drawbridge.{{cite journal|last1=Bonnici |first1=Hermann |title=Fort Ricasoli |journal=Arx – Online Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification |date=2004–2007 |issue=1–4 |pages=33–38 |url=http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/Arx/arx1_4_2008.pdf |access-date=10 October 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115113200/http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/Arx/arx1_4_2008.pdf |archive-date=15 November 2015 }} The tower and battery are visible in the distance in a 1664 drawing of the Grand Harbour by Willem Schellinks.{{cite book|last=Spiteri|first=Stephen C.|author-link=Stephen C. Spiteri|date=2017|title=The Fortifications of Malta|publisher=BDL Publishings (Book Distributors Limited)|page=134|isbn=978-99957-67-38-9}} They remained standing until they were destroyed by waves in a storm on 8 February 1821, and today only the rock-hewn ditch of the battery remains.

In 1644, Giovanni de’ Medici proposed that Fort St. Angelo in Birgu be abandoned and a new fort be constructed on Orsi Point. The new fort would have been also called Fort St. Angelo, and would be manned with the garrison of the old fort. He drew up plans for the proposed fort, but they were never implemented.

File:Arrivee a Malte avec orage sur port La Valette.jpg in {{circa}} 1750, with Fort Ricasoli on the left and Fort Saint Elmo on the right]]

In 1669, fears of an Ottoman attack rose after the fall of Candia, and the following year Grand Master Nicolas Cotoner invited Antonio Maurizio Valperga, the military engineer of the House of Savoy, to improve Malta's fortifications.{{cite journal|last=Graff|first=Philippe|title=La Valette: une ville nouvelle du XVIe siècle et son évolution jusqu'à nos jours|url=http://www.persee.fr/doc/remmm_0997-1327_1994_num_71_1_1641|language=fr|publisher=Publications de l'Université de Provence|journal=Revue du Monde Musulman et de la Méditerranée: Le carrefour maltais|date=1994|volume=71|issue=1|page=161|doi=10.3406/remmm.1994.1641|issn=2105-2271|oclc=958683792}} Valperga designed a new fort to be built on the headland, and despite some criticism from within the order, the decision was eventually approved.{{cite journal|title=Vella, J. (2007). Antonio Maurizio Valperga. Programm tal-festa Marija Immakulata fil-belt ta' Bormla Festa 2007, 49, 51, 53, 55.|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/51955/1/Antonio_Maurizio_Valperga_2007.pdf}} The Florentine knight Fra Giovanni Francesco Ricasoli donated 20,000 scudi to construct the fort, and it was named in his honour.

The first stone was laid down on 15 June 1670, and the initial stages of construction were supervised by Valperga himself.https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/41375/1/L-arkitettura_xhieda_ta_l-identita_nazzjonali_1989.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}} The fort received a skeleton garrison in June 1674, although it was still incomplete. In 1681, the Flemish engineer Carlos de Grunenbergh proposed some changes to the design of the fort, and these recommendations were implemented. The barracks, chapel and other buildings within the fort were constructed in the 1680s and 1690s, and the fort was officially declared complete and armed in May 1698.

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In 1714, the French engineers Jacop de Puigirand de Tigné, Charles François de Mondion and Philippe de Vendôme criticized the small size of the fort's bastions, which they deemed ineffective. De Tigné proposed a number of alterations, including repairing the existing parapets and embrasures, as well as constructing a retrenchment within the fort. Vendôme proposed the construction of a canal separating the fort from the mainland. In 1722, the repairs proposed by de Tigné were implemented, although the retrenchment and canal were never built due to a lack of funds. The fort was in a bad state by the mid-18th century, and some maintenance work was done in 1761.

In 1785, Ricasoli was armed with eighty cannons, including forty-one 24-pounders, making it the most heavily armed fort in Malta.{{cite journal|last1=Spiteri|first1=Stephen C.|title=Fort Manoel|journal=ARX Occasional Papers|date=2014|issue=4|page=176|url=http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/index.php/Journals/arx-fort-manoel-occasional-papers-4.html|access-date=30 January 2016}} Parts of the fort's enceinte were rebuilt under the direction of Antoine Étienne de Tousard in the 1790s.{{cite journal|last1=Spiteri|first1=Stephen C.|title=Fort Tigné 1792|journal=ARX Occasional Papers|date=2011|issue=1|page=6|url=http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/index.php/Journals/arx-occasional-papers-fort-tigne-1792.html|access-date=30 January 2016}}

The fort was also used as a prison prior to the construction of the Corradino Correctional Facility.{{cite web|title=Corradino Correctional Facility|url=https://homeaffairs.gov.mt/en/MHAS-Departments/Corradino-Correctional-Facility/Pages/CCF.aspx|website=Ministry for Home Affairs and National Security|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629071807/https://homeaffairs.gov.mt/en/MHAS-Departments/Corradino-Correctional-Facility/Pages/CCF.aspx|archive-date=29 June 2015}}

Fort Ricasoli saw use during the French invasion of Malta in June 1798, during the French Revolutionary Wars. At the time, it was commanded by the Bali de Tillet, and was garrisoned by the Cacciatori, who were a volunteer chasseur light infantry regiment.{{cite web|title=Caccatori Maltesi|url=https://hrgm.wordpress.com/units/orders-knights-of-st-john-military-units/caccatori-maltesi/|website=Historical Re-Enactment Group of Malta|date=24 June 2009|access-date=28 August 2015}} The fort repelled three French attacks, before surrendering after Grand Master Hompesch officially capitulated to Napoleon.

In the subsequent Maltese uprising and blockade, the fort remained in French hands. It continually fired at the insurgents' San Rocco Battery, which was located about {{convert|700|m|abbr=on}} away.{{cite journal|last1=Spiteri|first1=Stephen C.|title=Maltese 'siege' batteries of the blockade 1798–1800|journal=Arx – Online Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification|date=May 2008|issue=6|page=35|url=http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/images/stories/Arx/arx6-2008.pdf|access-date=24 March 2015}}

File:Fort Ricasoli, Malta (Wilhelm von Landau).jpg

The fort continued to be an active military installation throughout the British period. It was the scene of a mutiny in 1807 when Albanian soldiers of the Froberg Regiment revolted and shut themselves up in Fort Ricasoli. Despite attempts at negotiation they eventually blew up the main gunpowder magazine, causing extensive damage to the fort in the process. The mutiny was quashed by loyal troops, and some of the mutineers were condemned to death by court martial.{{cite news|last1=Dandria|first1=David|title=The 1807 Froberg regiment mutiny at Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150201/life-features/The-1807-Froberg-regiment-mutiny-at-Fort-Ricasoli.554490|work=Times of Malta|date=1 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150314170155/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150201/life-features/The-1807-Froberg-regiment-mutiny-at-Fort-Ricasoli.554490|archive-date=14 March 2015}} The damaged parts of the fort were repaired, but were not rebuilt to their original design. A new magazine was built in 1829 to replace the one destroyed in the mutiny.

The fort was also used as a temporary naval hospital in the late 1820s and early 1830s, before Bighi Hospital was opened.{{cite web|title=Regimental Hospitals and Military Hospitals of the Malta Garrison |url=http://www.maltaramc.com/articles/contents/reghosp.html |website=Maltarmc.com |publisher=British Army Medical Services And the Malta Garrison 1799 – 1979 |access-date=30 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117014941/http://www.maltaramc.com/articles/contents/reghosp.html |archive-date=17 November 2015 }} During the cholera epidemic of 1837, patients who had contracted the disease at the Ospizio in Floriana were transferred to Ricasoli.[https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/49024/1/Lehen%20is-Sewwa_1975_11_15_Bonnici_Arturo_L-Ospizju%20tal-Furjana.pdf Bonniċi, A. (1975, NOvember 15). L-Ospizju tal-Furjana. Leħen is-Sewwa, pp. 3.] Most of them died within a few days, and they were buried within the nearby Wied Għammieq cemetery.[https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/49021/1/Lehen%20is-Sewwa_1975_11_01_Bonnici_Arturo_L-erwieh%20ta%27%20Wied%20Ghammieq.pdf Bonniċi, A. (1975, November 1). L-erwieħ ta' Wied Għammieq. Leħen is-Sewwa, pp. 4, 11.]{{cite news|title=Wied Ghammieq Cemetery Sadly neglected|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2006-05-11/news/wied-ghammieq-cemetery-sadly-neglected-91129/|access-date=15 November 2015|work=The Malta Independent|date=11 May 2006}} Another cholera epidemic broke out at Ricasoli in 1865.

File:Italian bombing of the Grand Harbor, Malta.jpg

In 1844, the fort was manned by 500 men. In 1848, Sir John Fox Burgoyne inspected Malta's fortifications, and considered Ricasoli as "impregnable". In the 1850s, artillery of a higher calibre was introduced to the fort, and the guns were replaced a number of times over the following decades. The seaward enceinte had been completely overhauled by 1878, and by the 1900s, new gun emplacements, searchlights and a torpedo station had been installed. In the 1930s, concrete fire control towers were built on No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 bastions, and further searchlights were installed.

Fort Ricasoli was active in the defence of Malta during World War II, and on 26 July 1941, its guns helped repel an Italian attack on the Grand Harbour.{{cite news|last1=Debono|first1=Charles|title=The Battle of Valletta 70 years ago|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111120/life-features/The-Battle-of-Valletta-70-years-ago.394726|work=Times of Malta|date=20 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107111856/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111120/life-features/The-Battle-of-Valletta-70-years-ago.394726|archive-date=7 January 2016}} In April 1942, the gate and Governor's House were destroyed by German aerial bombardment. After the war, the fort was commissioned as HMS Ricasoli between 1947 and 1958, and was used as a naval barracks. In 1958, the gate was rebuilt, although the design was slightly different from the original. The Governor's House was never reconstructed, mainly for financial reasons. In 1949, the lighthouse close to the fort was damaged due to bad weather.[https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/51452 Leone-Ganado, P. (2019, March 20). Octogenarian recalls 1949 storm that almost killed her father, Times of Malta, pp. 3.] In 1964, the Admiralty transferred control of the fort to the government of Malta.

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File:Malta - Kalkara - Triq Santu Rokku - Fort Ricasoli 04 ies.jpg

After the fort was handed over to the Maltese government, it was initially abandoned but it later became a container depot for raw material arriving in Malta. In 1976, part of the ditch near the Left Ravelin was filled in, and St. Dominic Demi-Bastion was breached to make way for a new road.{{cite journal|last1=Quintano|first1=Anton|title=Fortifications: Fort Ricasoli|journal=Heritage: An Encyclopedia of Maltese Culture and Civilization|volume=4|pages=1101–1107|publisher=Midsea Books Ltd}}

In 1964, the fort's ditch became a tank cleaning farm for the Malta Drydocks. The depot, which is known as Ricasoli Tank Cleaning Facilities, treats liquid waste from ships arriving in the Grand Harbour and removes oil and other chemicals prior to releasing the waste into the sea.{{cite news|title=Decision on Ricasoli port facilities for waste oils postponed|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150305/local/decision-on-ricasoli-port-facilities-for-waste-oils-postponed.558639|access-date=15 November 2015|work=Times of Malta|date=5 March 2015}} The facility was privatized in 2012,{{cite news|title=Parliament was 'bypassed' over Ricasoli tank farm|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120528/local/Parliament-was-bypassed-over-Ricasoli-tank-farm.421600|work=Times of Malta|date=28 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117185829/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120528/local/Parliament-was-bypassed-over-Ricasoli-tank-farm.421600|archive-date=17 November 2015}} and it is currently under the management of Waste Oils Co. Ltd.{{cite news|title=Waste Oils given 30-year contract to manage Ricasoli Tank Cleaning Facilities|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130104/local/waste-oils-given.451961|work=Times of Malta|date=4 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117020425/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130104/local/waste-oils-given.451961|archive-date=17 November 2015}}

The area around the fort eventually became an industrial park, which was known as Ricasoli Industrial Estate after the fort. The industrial estate was demolished in 2007 to make way for SmartCity Malta.{{cite news|last1=Zammit|first1=Rosanne|title=Mepa approves demolition of Ricasoli factories|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20070803/local/mepa-approves-demolition-of-ricasoli-factories.9306|work=Times of Malta|date=3 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117020619/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20070803/local/mepa-approves-demolition-of-ricasoli-factories.9306|archive-date=17 November 2015}}

Most of the fort is leased to the Malta Film Commission, and it has been used extensively as a location for various films and serials. In recent years, huge sets were built within its walls for the films Cutthroat Island (1995), Gladiator (2000), Troy (2004), Agora (2009), and Napoleon (2023). In these films, the fort stood in as Port Royal, Rome, Troy, Alexandria, and Toulon respectively. The fort was also used in the filming of Assassin's Creed (2016){{cite web|last1=Siegel|first1=Lucas|title=New Assassin's Creed Set Pictures, Shooting Information from Malta|url=http://comicbook.com/2015/11/04/new-assassins-creed-set-pictures-shooting-information-from-malta/|website=Comicbook.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151127200150/http://comicbook.com/2015/11/04/new-assassins-creed-set-pictures-shooting-information-from-malta/|archive-date=27 November 2015|date=4 November 2014}} and Entebbe (2018).

The TV miniseries Julius Caesar (2002) and Helen of Troy (2003) were also partially filmed at Fort Ricasoli. A set dubbed as the Roman Road was built for Julius Caesar and this has been retained and used for other films.{{cite web|title=Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.maltafilmcommission.com/fort-ricasoli/|publisher=Malta Film Commission|access-date=30 November 2014}}

The first season of HBO's adaptation of George R. R. Martin's Game of Thrones used various parts of the fort to represent the Red Keep.{{cite web|title=Locations of Thrones: Malta (Part 1)|url=http://www.cultureaddicthistorynerd.com/2011/08/locations-of-thrones-malta-part-1/|website=Cultureaddicthistorynerd.com|access-date=30 November 2014|date=9 August 2011}}

File:Malta - Kalkara - Fort Ricasoli (MSTHC) 02 ies.jpg

File:Malta - Kalkara - Triq Santu Rokku - Fort Ricasoli 06 ies.jpg, which has partially collapsed]]

Today, Fort Ricasoli remains largely intact, although it is in a dilapidated state.{{cite news|last1=Carabott|first1=Sarah|title=Forts under attack from neglect and vandalism|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160829/local/watch-forts-under-attack-from-neglect-and-vandalism.623427|work=Times of Malta|date=29 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160830161318/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20160829/local/watch-forts-under-attack-from-neglect-and-vandalism.623427|archive-date=30 August 2016}} The headland that it is built upon is prone to coastal erosion, and some of the walls between No. 3 and No. 4 bastions have already collapsed into the sea.{{cite news|last1=Said|first1=Edward|title=In need of repair|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20061017/letters/in-need-of-repair.38239|access-date=30 November 2014|work=Times of Malta|date=17 October 2006}} In 2004, the Restoration Unit of the Ministry of Resources and Infrastructure removed, restored and re-attached part of the fort's walls,{{cite news|last1=Cini|first1=George|title=Lm110,000 restoration job on Fort Ricasoli rampart|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20040120/local/lm110-000-restoration-job-on-fort-ricasoli-rampart.131925|access-date=15 November 2015|work=Times of Malta|date=20 January 2004}} but nothing has been done to restore the entire fort.{{cite news|last1=Said|first1=Edward|title=Fort Ricasoli is under serious threat|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100903/letters/fort-ricasoli-is-under-serious-threat.325186|access-date=9 March 2014|work=Times of Malta|date=3 September 2010}}

In May 2015, the Democratic Alternative{{cite news|title=AD suggests Ricasoli as new university site|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150504/local/ad-suggests-ricasoli-as-new-university-site.566737|access-date=5 May 2015|work=Times of Malta|date=4 May 2015}} and some NGOs suggested that the campus of the proposed American University of Malta should be split up between Fort Ricasoli and the nearby Fort Saint Rocco and Fort San Salvatore.{{cite book|title=Alternative Sites proposal for a new University Campus|date=25 May 2015|publisher=National Independent Forum for Sustainability|pages=10–11|url=http://issuu.com/nifsmalta/docs/nifs_-_campus_alternative_sites_in_|access-date=6 June 2015}} This proposal was not implemented, as the campus is to be split up between Dock No. 1 in Cospicua and Żonqor Point in Marsaskala.{{cite news|title='American' University to occupy Dock 1 buildings and reduced Zonqor site|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20150820/local/update-3-american-university-to-occupy-dock-1-buildings-and-reduced.581335|access-date=20 August 2015|work=Times of Malta|date=20 August 2015}}

By 2018, heritage NGOs had made repeated calls for the fort to be restored.{{cite news |last1=Camilleri |first1=Neil |title=Ricasoli: The fort that is not so slowly being eaten up by the sea |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-07-16/local-news/Ricasoli-The-fort-that-is-not-so-slowly-being-eaten-up-by-the-sea-6736193445 |work=The Malta Independent |date=16 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181021122916/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-07-16/local-news/Ricasoli-The-fort-that-is-not-so-slowly-being-eaten-up-by-the-sea-6736193445 |archive-date=21 October 2018}}{{cite news |title=Association calls for emergency works, long-term restoration plan for Fort Ricasoli |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-08-27/local-news/Association-calls-for-emergency-works-long-term-restoration-plan-for-Fort-Ricasoli-6736195465 |work=The Malta Independent |date=27 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828124116/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-08-27/local-news/Association-calls-for-emergency-works-long-term-restoration-plan-for-Fort-Ricasoli-6736195465 |archive-date=28 August 2018}} Some works meant to attract more film productions began in early 2019,{{cite news |last1=Demicoli |first1=Keith |title=Fort Ricasoli undergoing restoration works to attract more film productions |url=https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/fort-ricasoli-undergoing-restoration-works-to-attract-more-film-productions/ |work=TVM |date=16 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418070116/https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/fort-ricasoli-undergoing-restoration-works-to-attract-more-film-productions/ |archive-date=18 April 2019}} and plans for extensive restoration works (originally submitted to the Planning Authority in 2013) were approved in June 2019.{{cite news |last1=Leone Ganado |first1=Philip |title=Not a moment too soon... Fort Ricasoli will finally be restored |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/not-a-moment-too-soon-fort-ricasoli-will-finally-be-restored.714547 |work=Times of Malta |date=18 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618080859/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/not-a-moment-too-soon-fort-ricasoli-will-finally-be-restored.714547 |archive-date=18 June 2019}} This move was welcomed by NGOs.{{cite news |last1=Fsadni |first1=Stephanie |title=Fort Ricasoli restoration – 'all layers of history must be preserved' |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/fort-ricasoli-restoration-all-layers-of-history-must-be-preserved.716367 |work=Times of Malta |date=24 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190624123901/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/fort-ricasoli-restoration-all-layers-of-history-must-be-preserved.716367 |archive-date=24 June 2019}}

Fort Ricasoli has an irregular plan following the coastline of the peninsula it is built upon. The fort consists of a bastioned land front and its outworks, an enceinte facing the sea, and a tenaille trace facing Rinella Bay of the Grand Harbour.

File:Malta - Kalkara - Triq Rinella + Rinella Bay + Fort Ricasoli 02 ies.jpg

The land front consists of the following bastions and demi-bastions, which are linked together by curtain walls:{{cite book|last1=Spiteri|first1=Stephen C.|title=Fortresses of the Cross|date=1994|publisher=Heritage Interpretation Services|isbn=9789990996531}}

• St. Dominic's Demi-Bastion, also known as Left Demi-Bastion or No. 5 Bastion – the demi-bastion at the northern end of the land front. It was damaged during the Froberg mutiny of 1807, when its magazine was blown up.{{cite web|title=St Dominic Demi-Bastion – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1658.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402183712/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1658.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 2, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}
• St. Francis Bastion, also known as Central Bastion or No. 6 Bastion – a pentagonal bastion at the centre of the land front. It contains a traverse and a covered abris.{{cite web|title=Central Bastion – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1656.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714063304/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1656.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}
• St. John's Demi-Bastion, also known as Right Demi-Bastion or No. 7 Bastion – the demi-bastion at the southern end of the land front.{{cite web|title=Right Demi-Bastion & adjoining curtain – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1657.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714065207/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1657.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}

The land front contains casemates, which were used as barracks.{{cite book|title=Army Medical Department – Statistical, Sanitary and Medical Reports. – Volume VI. – For the Year 1866|date=1866|publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office|location=London|page=327|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cpUEAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA327}}

File:Malta - Kalkara - Triq Santu Rokku - Fort Ricasoli 03 ies.jpg

The land front is further protected by the following outworks:

• a faussebraye in the form of a crownwork encircling the entire land front.{{cite web|title=Faussebraye – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1659.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714065229/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1659.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}
• St. Dominic Counterguard – a casemated counterguard near the left extremity of the land front. It was heavily damaged by the action of seawater, with half of the structure having collapsed.{{cite web|title=Counterguard – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1660.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714060426/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1660.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}
• two triangular ravelins between the St. Francis Bastion and either of the demi-bastions.{{cite web|title=Right Ravelin – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1665.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714065006/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1665.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}} The Left Ravelin contains a 6-inch (152mm) breech-loading (BL) gun emplacement.{{cite web|title=Left Ravelin – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1666.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714052233/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1666.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}
• two caponiers leading from the land front to each of the ravelins. Extensive modifications were made to their structures by the British.{{cite web|title=Right Caponier – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1663.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714062645/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1663.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}{{cite web|title=Left Caponier – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1664.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714062539/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1664.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}

The outworks are surrounded by a ditch,{{cite web|title=Land front ditch – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1669.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714062219/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1669.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}} a covertway{{cite web|title=Covertway – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1667.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714060834/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1667.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}} and a glacis.{{cite web|title=Glacis – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1668.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714043339/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1668.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}

File:Giorcesmalta25.JPG of Fort Ricasoli]]

The enceinte facing the open sea is made up of the following bastions and curtain walls:

• No. 1 Bastion – a demi-bastion linked to a tenaille, forming Point Battery. It originally contained an échaugette, a protruding tower, but this was dismantled to make way for a directing station for the Brennan Torpedo System. A gun emplacement for an RML 12.5-inch 38 ton gun is located on the bastion's face.{{cite web|title=No 1 Bastion and Tenaille – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1671.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714053842/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1671.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}
• No. 1 Curtain – curtain wall between No. 1 and No. 2 bastions, containing a casemated battery and a searchlight emplacement.{{cite web|title=No 1 Curtain – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1672.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714062847/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1672.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}
• No. 2 Bastion – an asymmetrical bastion containing embrasures, and various British gun emplacements, magazines and a fire control tower.{{cite web|title=No. 2 Bastion – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1673.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714065130/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1673.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}
• No. 2 Curtain – curtain wall between No. 2 and No. 3 bastions, containing embrasures, an expense magazine (where ammunition intended for immediate use was stored) and a searchlight emplacement.{{cite web|title=No.2 Curtain – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1674.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714065148/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1674.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}
• No. 3 Bastion – a flat-faced bastion, containing embrasures and various British gun emplacements, magazines and a fire control tower.{{cite web|title=No. 3 Bastion – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1675.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714063324/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1675.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}
• a curtain wall near No. 4 Bastion, containing embrasures, magazines and a sally port. Part of the curtain wall has collapsed into the sea.{{cite web|title=Curtain near No.4 Bastion – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1677.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714033409/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1677.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}
• No. 4 Bastion – a small bastion, containing a gun emplacement, magazine, gun crew shelters and a fire control tower.{{cite web|title=No 4 Bastion – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1678.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714055458/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1678.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}
• No. 5 Curtain – curtain wall between No. 4 Bastion and St. Dominic Demi-Bastion of the land front, containing gun emplacements, magazines and gun crew shelters.{{cite web|title=No 5 Curtain – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1679.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714023402/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1679.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}

A shallow rock-hewn ditch extends from No. 1 to No. 3 bastions.{{cite web|title=Sea front ditch – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1670.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714035748/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1670.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}

File:Malta -mix- 2019 by-RaBoe 305.jpg

File:Fort Ricasoli - polished version.jpg

The enceinte along Rinella Bay is made up of a tenaille trace with high walls.{{cite web|title=Harbour tenaille trace – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1680.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714061538/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1680.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}} The fort's main gate is located within the enceinte.{{cite web|title=Main Gate and remains of Governor's House – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1682.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714065110/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1682.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}} The Governor's House (now demolished) and a Chapel of St Nicholas are located within the fort, close to the main gate.{{cite web|title=Chapel of St Nicholas – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1683.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714062518/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1683.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}} An inscription on the gate commemorates the inauguration of the fort in 1698 and gives praise to Grand Master Perellos.

The rock-hewn ditch of Orsi Battery can still be seen at the northern end of the tenaille, at the tip of the peninsula.{{cite web|title=Orsi Battery remains – Fort Ricasoli|url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1681.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714044654/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1681.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2015|website=National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands|access-date=13 July 2015|date=28 June 2013}}

The British built a Brennan Torpedo Station near the trace in the late 19th century.

{{clear}}

• {{cite journal|journal=Storja|last=Quintano|first=Anton|date=1977|editor=Henry Frendo|title=Fort Ricasoli: A Historical Survey, 1670–1798|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/25122/Storja%2078.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|volume=78|issue=13|pages=164–165|publisher=University of Malta}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

{{Reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book|last1=Quintano|first1=Anton|title=Ricasoli, Malta: History of a Fort|date=1999|publisher=Publishers Enterprises Group (PEG), Limited|isbn=9789990902433|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BngcAAAACAAJ}}

{{commons category|Fort Ricasoli}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150403015951/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/filebank/inventory/Knights%20Fortifications/1655.pdf National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands]

{{Forts in Malta}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1698

Ricasoli

Ricasoli

Category:Kalkara

Category:Defunct prisons in Malta

Category:Defunct hospitals in Malta

Category:British military hospitals

Category:Buildings and structures by Italian architects

Category:Limestone buildings in Malta

Category:Military installations closed in 1964

Category:National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands

Category:Coastal erosion in Malta

Category:Barracks in Malta

Category:17th-century fortifications

Category:1698 establishments in Malta