Majestically imposing
The Esseillon forts were built according to the plans of the Marquis de Montalembert, between 1815 and 1830 at the time of the Piedmont-Sardinia Kingdom, long before Savoie was annexed to France. So the forts were neither French nor Italian.
The glacial rock barrier of Esseillon (the Piedmontese word for “ladder”) lent itself well to the layout designed by the architect who advocated the mutual defence of each fort by crossfire.
These buildings bear the names of the sovereigns of the royal family: Victor Emmanuel and Marie-Thérèse, Charles-Félix and Marie-Christine, and Charles-Albert.