Tom`s travels: Gavi (02/08/2015)

This day I decided to do a quick day trip to a small town called Gavi. I was staying at my relatives house in Alessandria, Piedmont for a few days before leaving for Spain, so I decided to do a quick day trip to this place located in the southern part of the province on the border with Liguria.
This small town, is mostly known for its impressive Fort; I saw that this day it was going to be open and had a free entrance for the first sunday of the month open museums. So we traveled about 45 minutes and reached the small town, we then drove up the winding and tight road leading to the fort.
A medieval castle was first built here in the 10th century being this area an important way from the Ligurian sea towards Piedmont and the north. However between the 16th and 17th centuries, being it in an extremely important location, the Genovese Republic decided to enlarge and fortify the fortress. It served its purpose as a defensive fortress until 1859 when it became a prison. In fact during WWII it was used as a prison camp for american and british officers. Once inside we formed a group and a guide accompanied us throughout most part of the fort to tell us its history. We noticed the different kinds of cells, ranging from those of the medieval times, tight, dark and humid to the more humane ones of the 17th centuries and those of WWII where the officers were even granted private showers with hot water and their own personal space. We walked around where we were shown the different areas of the structure, including the outer walls where the gunpowder storeroom was located in order for it to not destroy the whole fort in case it was hit. Unfortunately not all the structure was open for visiting since most of it is still under restoration, so we finished the visit and headed back to the car. We then drove back down into town and parked so we could walk around the town center for a bit. We passed by the church of San Giacomo Maggiore built in a Romanesque style but unfortunately closed, then along the main street with several interesting palaces from different periods and styles. Finally a quick look at the medieval tower-gate and then a stop for ice cream before heading back home.