Fort Ricasoli
Trademark
UnclaimedFort Ricasoli is a historic bastioned fort at the entrance to Malta's Grand Harbour, now used for heritage, industrial and film-production purposes.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Fort Ricasoli is a large coastal fortress on Gallows' Point, at the northern shore of Rinella Bay in Kalkara, Malta. Built by the Order of Saint John between 1670 and 1698, it commands the entrance to the Grand Harbour together with Fort Saint Elmo. The fort was named after Fra Giovanni Francesco Ricasoli, a Florentine knight who contributed 20,000 scudi toward its construction. It remains one of Malta's most substantial military monuments and forms part of the Knights' Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta, a group placed on Malta's tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage recognition in 1998. The site had military significance before the present fort was built. It was known as Gallows' Point after executions carried out there in the sixteenth century, and an artillery battery was established on the promontory during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. A small battery and tower were later built in the early seventeenth century. A proposal in 1644 to replace Fort Saint Angelo with a new fort on the point was not implemented, but renewed concern about Ottoman attacks after the fall of Candia eventually led the Order to commission a major new fortress. Military engineer Antonio Maurizio Valperga designed the initial scheme, with later modifications proposed by Carlos de Grunenbergh. The first stone was laid on 15 June 1670. Although the fort received a skeleton garrison in 1674, construction of its barracks, chapel and internal buildings continued for decades. It was formally completed and armed in May 1698. Further repairs and modifications followed, including work to the parapets and embrasures in 1722, maintenance in the 1760s, and extensive changes to the enceinte and artillery arrangements during the British period. Fort Ricasoli took part in the French invasion of Malta in 1798. It resisted three French attacks before surrendering after Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch capitulated. During the Maltese uprising and blockade that followed, the French used the fort to fire on insurgent positions. After Malta came under British control, the fort remained a military installation. In 1807 it was the scene of the Froberg mutiny, when Albanian soldiers occupied the fort and detonated its main powder magazine. The explosion caused extensive damage, and the damaged sections were repaired without fully restoring their original appearance. During the nineteenth century, Fort Ricasoli also served medical functions, including use as a temporary naval hospital and as an isolation site during cholera outbreaks. British improvements added larger artillery, new gun positions, searchlights, fire-control structures and, in the early twentieth century, a torpedo station. The fort participated in Malta's coastal defence during the Second World War. Its guns helped repel an Italian attack on the Grand Harbour on 26 July 1941, while German bombing in April 1942 destroyed the gate and Governor's House. The gate was rebuilt in 1958, but the Governor's House was not reconstructed. The British military presence ended progressively after the war. The site operated as HMS Ricasoli from 1947 to 1958 as a naval barracks, and control passed from the Admiralty to the Maltese government in 1964. Parts of the fort and ditch subsequently supported industrial activity, including a tank-cleaning facility for Malta Drydocks and a container depot. The tank-cleaning operation was privatized in 2012 and is managed by Waste Oils Co. Ltd. The surrounding Ricasoli Industrial Estate was later demolished in 2007 to make way for SmartCity Malta. In contemporary use, Fort Ricasoli is especially recognized as a filming location. Areas within the fort have hosted major feature films and television productions, with its historic masonry and adaptable interior standing in for settings including Port Royal, ancient Rome, Troy, Alexandria, Varna and Toulon. Productions associated with the site include Gladiator, Troy, Agora, Assassin's Creed, Napoleon and The Last Voyage of the Demeter, as well as the first season of Game of Thrones. The fort is largely intact but substantially deteriorated. Coastal erosion has damaged sections of the sea-facing walls, and some masonry has collapsed into the sea. Restoration proposals were approved in June 2019 after years of calls from heritage organizations, although the site continues to require extensive conservation.
History
Fort Ricasoli occupies the easternmost peninsula on the eastern side of Malta's Grand Harbour. Before the fortress was built, the headland was known as Rinella Point or Punta Sottile and later became associated with executions, acquiring the name Gallows' Point. The location was also used by Ottoman forces as an artillery battery during the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. A semi-circular battery was constructed in 1602, followed by a tower financed by Alessandro Orsi in 1629. These earlier works eventually disappeared, although parts of the rock-cut ditch survived. The idea of placing a major fortress on the point was discussed in the seventeenth century. In 1669, after the Ottoman capture of Candia increased fears of renewed attack, Grand Master Nicolas Cotoner commissioned Antonio Maurizio Valperga to design a new fort. The first stone was laid on 15 June 1670, and the project was funded in part by Fra Giovanni Francesco Ricasoli. Construction progressed in stages, with a garrison present before the fort was finished. Carlos de Grunenbergh later recommended design changes, while internal buildings such as the barracks and chapel were completed during the 1680s and 1690s. The completed fort was armed in May 1698. Military engineers criticized aspects of the design in the early eighteenth century, particularly the size of its bastions. Some recommended repairs were executed in 1722, while more ambitious proposals, including a retrenchment and canal, were abandoned for financial reasons. The fort underwent additional maintenance in the 1760s and was heavily armed by 1785, when it held eighty cannons. Sections of the enceinte were rebuilt in the 1790s. During the French invasion of 1798, the garrison resisted several attacks before surrendering as part of the Order of Saint John's capitulation. French forces retained the fort during the Maltese revolt and blockade, using it against insurgent batteries. Under British rule it remained an active military site and suffered its most dramatic internal destruction during the Froberg mutiny of 1807, when mutineers exploded the main magazine. Repairs followed, including construction of a replacement magazine in 1829. The fort had several nineteenth-century roles beyond conventional defence. It temporarily served as a naval hospital, and cholera patients were transferred there during outbreaks in 1837 and 1865. British authorities gradually modernized the artillery, added larger guns, refurbished the seaward enceinte and installed searchlights, fire-control towers and a torpedo station. During the Second World War the fort contributed to the defence of the Grand Harbour, but bombing destroyed its gate and Governor's House in 1942. The gate was reconstructed after the war, while the Governor's House remained lost. Fort Ricasoli functioned as HMS Ricasoli, a naval barracks, from 1947 to 1958. The Admiralty transferred it to the Maltese government in 1964. The site was then partly abandoned and partly adapted for industrial uses. Its ditch became a tank-cleaning facility handling liquid waste from ships, and parts of the surrounding area were incorporated into the Ricasoli Industrial Estate. Industrial redevelopment altered some outer sections, including the filling of part of the ditch and the breaching of St Dominic's Demi-Bastion for a road. The industrial estate was demolished in 2007 for the SmartCity Malta development. The fort's imposing architecture later made it valuable to the film industry. It has hosted major productions and television series, often providing a substitute for historical or fictional Mediterranean, European and Near Eastern settings. Despite this renewed cultural use, the monument remains vulnerable. Coastal erosion has damaged the seaward walls, and much of the structure is in a dilapidated condition. Restoration work and planning have proceeded unevenly, but comprehensive restoration plans received approval in June 2019. Fort Ricasoli is also included in Malta's tentative UNESCO listing for the Knights' Fortifications around the Harbours.
- 2019
Restoration plans approved
[1]Plans for extensive conservation and restoration works received approval.
- 2007
Ricasoli Industrial Estate demolished
[1]The industrial estate surrounding the fort was removed to make way for SmartCity Malta.
- 1998
Added to Malta's UNESCO tentative listing
[1]Fort Ricasoli became part of the tentative listing for the Knights' Fortifications around the Harbours of Malta.
- 1964
Transferred to the Maltese government
[1]The British Admiralty transferred control of the fort to Malta's government.
- 1942
Wartime bombing damages the fort
[1]German aerial bombardment destroyed the gate and Governor's House during the Second World War.
- 1807
Froberg mutiny
[1]Mutineers occupied the fort and detonated its principal powder magazine, causing major structural damage.
- 1798
French invasion and occupation
[1]Fort Ricasoli resisted French attacks before surrendering after the Order of Saint John's capitulation.
- 1698
Fort completed and armed
[1]The fort's construction was officially completed and it entered service as a fully armed strongpoint.
- 1674
Skeleton garrison established
[1]The unfinished fort received an initial military garrison.
- 1670
First stone of Fort Ricasoli laid
[1]Construction of the major fortress began under the direction of Antonio Maurizio Valperga.
Products and positioning
A major Maltese heritage landmark positioned at the intersection of military history, cultural tourism, conservation and international screen production.
Historic fortification · 1698
Fort Ricasoli heritage site
The principal offering is the fort itself: a large irregular bastioned complex with land-front outworks, sea-facing batteries, casemates, magazines, barracks and other defensive structures. Its strategic position at the Grand Harbour entrance and its layered Hospitaller, French and British history make it a major Maltese military-heritage asset.
Film production location · 1995
Film-location facilities
Large sections of the fort are leased or made available for screen production. Its walls, courtyards, tunnels and adaptable open areas have supported historical films, television series and large constructed sets, allowing the location to represent settings from ancient Rome and Troy to fictional and early-modern ports.
Industrial waste treatment · 1964
Ricasoli Tank Cleaning Facilities
The fort's ditch has been used for a tank-cleaning operation that treats liquid waste from ships entering the Grand Harbour, including oil and other chemical residues. The facility was associated with Malta Drydocks before being privatized in 2012 and placed under the management of Waste Oils Co. Ltd.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Fort Ricasoli restoration initiative
Malta
Heritage groups and public authorities advanced restoration planning for the deteriorating fort, including measures intended to conserve its masonry and improve its ability to host film productions.
Outcome. Extensive restoration plans were approved in June 2019, although the monument continued to face substantial conservation needs.
Brand decisions
2019
Approval of comprehensive restoration plansStrategyBackground
The fort remained largely intact but was in poor condition, with coastal erosion and collapsed sections of sea-facing masonry prompting repeated heritage concerns.
Action taken
Authorities approved plans for extensive restoration works.
Aftermath
The approval created a formal basis for further conservation, while the fort continued to be used as a filming location.
2012
Privatization of the tank-cleaning facilityStrategyBackground
The industrial operation in the fort's ditch had historically been associated with Malta Drydocks and handled liquid waste from vessels using the Grand Harbour.
Action taken
The facility was privatized and came under the management of Waste Oils Co. Ltd.
Aftermath
The site retained an industrial function alongside its heritage and filming uses.
Sources1 sources
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