The fortress was built by the Republic of Genoa in 1542-44, designed by the Lombard Giovanni Maria Olgiati, both to protect its territory from possible attacks from the sea and the Savoy state and, above all, to keep the recently subdued city of Savona under control.
Barely nine months after work began, the military structure became functional, so much so that, with the construction site still open, a first garrison was established there as early as April 1543. To make way for the mighty ramparts, enhancing the strategic position of the rocky promontory of Priamàr, one of the most important areas of the early medieval city was destroyed, including, among others, the Cathedral of Santa Maria di Castello, the Bishop's Palace, the Dominican Convent and the area of the same name, the ten oratories of the confraternities, and the three city hospitals.
From 1956 to the present, systematic archaeological excavation campaigns, conducted every year by the International Institute of Ligurian Studies (IISL), have been gradually bringing to light what remains of the ancient settlement, which is gradually being enhanced both in the Civic Archaeological and City Museum (continuously updated by the IISL) and in the setting up of the evocative archaeological areas inside and outside the Fortress.
To this day the Savona Fortress on the Priamàr is the most impressive fortified work in the whole of Liguria.
The profound transformations documented in the monumental complex of the Priamàr correspond to the main stages of the city's history. A visit to the monumental complex, located where the first inhabited nucleus of Savona stood, allows one to reread the entire history of the city through an exciting itinerary that winds through the entire Fortress. The guided tour begins at the Civic Museum of Archaeology and the City of Savona.