The largest and best preserved of the five forts of the Nava entrenched camp, built between 1880 and 1888 right on the summit of the pass. Today it can be visited and houses the Pro Loco tourist information office, a small geological museum and, in summer, exhibitions and events in its vaulted halls.
Il Forte Centrale di Nava
Photo: Doppiavu2v - CC BY-SA 4.0
Panoramica del Forte Centrale
Photo: Pampuco - CC BY-SA 4.0
Il cortile centrale del forte
Photo: N.Longo - CC BY-SA 4.0
Il cortile centrale del forte
Photo: N.Longo - CC BY-SA 4.0
La facciata nord
Photo: N.Longo - CC BY-SA 4.0
La facciata sud
Photo: N.Longo - CC BY-SA 4.0
Gli archi interni
Photo: N.Longo - CC BY-SA 4.0
La strada di accesso al forte
Photo: N.Longo - CC BY-SA 4.0
Data checked on 14/09/2026.
Source: www.openstreetmap.org.
Opening hours and contacts can change: always check before you travel.
Built between 1880 and 1888 to bar the French route towards Piedmont, the entrenched camp of Nava is an imposing Savoy defensive system made of five forts: Centrale, Richermo, Pozzanghi, Bellarasco and Montescio. It has been a protected national heritage site since 1994.
At 934 m, the pass that has always linked Liguria to Piedmont: a strategic gateway contested for centuries, today also known for the lavender that colours the meadows around the forts in June.
