Underground Turin: the tunnels of Pietro Micca

It may be hard to imagine today, but Turin was, at one time, a fortified city. The first stone of the fortification was laid in 1564, on the orders of Duke Emanuele Filiberto, who wished to protect his new capital. The Citadel was laid out in a pentagon shape, with a stronghold at every angle, and surrounded by a wide moat. In 1706, in the middle of the Spanish war of succession, the Citadel was attacked by more than forty thousand soldiers of Louis XIV, and was able to repel the assault due to the well-planned defense system beneath the city. In fact, 14 kilometers of tunnels had been dug, consisting of main tunnels (the deepest levels) and service tunnels (closer to the surface). Recessed areas were dug into the tunnels, and then packed with explosives, which were then ignited as necessary by a slow-burning fuse. The explosion, calculated with the utmost precision, reverberated upwards, just beneath with enemies’ cannons. This was an effective and nearly invisible method of defending...

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