The Batteria Amalfi, located in the street of the same name in Punta Sabbioni, is a military fortification created to defend Venice, seat of the Arsenal (which, at the time, was the most important naval base in the Upper Adriatic), from naval attacks. It’s considered the most important military construction fixed to defend the lagoon city during the Great War. The most powerful in the Upper Adriatic, in Italy and in Europe. The Amalfi was a complex of buildings, a real “war village” that extended over no less than twenty hectares. In 2016, it underwent a major restoration, which lasted about a year.
Where does the name Amalfi come from?
On 7 July 1915, two months before construction began, the armoured cruiser Amalfi left the port of Venice heading in the direction of Trieste with the aim of hitting some Austro-Hungarian ships heading towards the Veneto coast. But a German submarine (even though it had an Austro-Hungarian flag) launched a torpedo, sinking the Amalfi. There were 70 casualties. In honour of the event the new batteria was given the name “Amalfi”.
Did you know that…
The batteria was armed with two 381/40 naval type guns, mounted on a 360 degree rotating armoured tower, with a range of almost 20 km. During the first general rehearsal, the local parish priests had to inform all families to keep their doors and windows open to avoid damage from the air movements.