Borgoforte

According to some historians, the origin of "Borgo", i.e. village, dates back to 1216, when the inhabitants of Mantua laid down the first foundations of a fortalice or “Forte”, i.e. fort, which over time would then be named Borgoforte (1254), as a barrier and defence against the armed raids by the Ferrarese-Reggianis and Modenese. Approximately in the same period (1253) the first bridge on the Po River was built, which, given its strategic position, would always constitute a most delicate point and the place of land and ship fights with related troubles, damages and ruins.
In the period of the Italian Risorgimento, and most precisely in 1859, Borgoforte was fortified again with walls, which started from the central Fort and reached the place of the ancient “fortress” on the bank of the Po river, which leads to the hamlet of Scorzarolo. In the same year, the Fort of Borgoforte, also called Central Fort or Magnaguti Fort, was built together with other three forts: Fort Noyon of Motteggiana, on the right bank of the Po river, and the Forts of Rocchetta and Bocca di Ganda, upstream and downstream the northwest bank of the Po river respectively. These four Forts, which were supposed to be built as early as in 1837, which is the year of the first related projects, represented a double bridgehead created for the defence of the Mantua-Verona main way, which was considered of utmost importance by the Austrians in view of a probable attack by the Italians. Today, the Fort of Borgoforte, which stretches over an area of 57,000 square metres of land, was purchased by the municipality and is used for cultural and recreational activities.