The Central Fort

Fort Central (so renamed even if its original denomination was Forte Alto, which later became Forte Colle Alto), the fulcrum of the Colle di Tenda defensive system, was armed with 10 cannons, two mortars and 4 machine guns. Completed in 1880, Fort Colle Alto was flanked by an imposing defensive barracks capable of accommodating about 300 men. It also had stables, various logistic services (infirmary, warehouses, ammunition depots), and was connected to the valley floor with a cableway that went up from Panice sottotana, capable of supplying the fort even in case of snow on the roads.