The Fort Stella in Portoferraio

Forte Stella is, together with Forte Falcone and the Torre della Linguella, one of the main nuclei of the Medici fortifications built by Giovan Battista Bellucci and Giovanni Camerini.

As indicated by the plaque to the right of the large entrance gate, Forte Stella was erected in 1548 by Cosimo I Grand Duke of Tuscany, in defense of the city of Cosmopoli. With its star-shaped plan (hence the name), the fort rises to 49 m above sea level, dominating the northern cliffs, the gulf, and the city of Portoferraio.

Made of red bricks, it was equipped with internal galleries and loopholes running along its perimeter to counter any attacks.

Due to the value of the structure, the gate of Forte Stella was chosen as the location for a remarkable bronze bust created by Benvenuto Cellini, depicting the founder of Portoferraio, Cosimo I de' Medici.

The work was placed in the niche above the entrance gate of Forte Stella on November 15, 1557, and remained there until May 2, 1781, when it was transferred to the Uffizi by order of Leopold I. The bust is now housed in the prestigious Bargello Museum (Florence).

Curiosity: It is said that when Napoleon arrived on Elba, he immediately sought out the bust of Cosimo at Forte Stella but was informed of its relocation to Florence.

It was also Grand Duke Leopold who had a circular lighthouse built in place of the original beacon, described by historian Sebastiano Lombardi as the most beautiful and majestic in the Mediterranean:

This Lighthouse rises from the sea surface to the Lantern a height of 130 arms. From the entrance to the Lantern, there is a spiral staircase of 80 steps. The Lantern is magnificent, entirely composed of thick iron pillars and solidly reinforced, so that 17,000 pounds of iron were used in its construction. All the Plates are made of Bohemian Crystal, perfectly sealed so that not the slightest air penetrates the Lantern. The Dome of the Lantern is entirely lined inside with copper plates and outside with lead, and at its top, there is a beautiful gilded Ball with a Cross above it.

This Lighthouse, given its luminous elevation from the sea surface to the Dome, is the most beautiful and majestic of any in the Mediterranean. In my youth, I went twice to France, in 1757 and 1760. I observed all the Lighthouses, not only those in France but all those up to the one in Livorno, and I can say with some certainty that none of those in the Mediterranean can compete with the one in Portoferraio regarding its elevation and even more so its location.

(Sebastiano Lombardi, Ancient and modern memories of the island of Elba, Florence, 1791, pp. 241-242)