The Sopraceneri fortress-builder
Pietro Morettini was the doyen of fortress-building. Originally from the south of the Confederacy, he worked for a number of different rulers and was held in high regard. Only in his homeland was he a relative unknown compared with his contemporaries.
Raphael Rues
Raphael Rues is a historian and specialises in Ticino and the German-fascist presence in Northern Italy.
It was a fruitful marriage, producing eleven children. They were turbulent times in Namur. Only three years after the French siege, the city was regained by English-Dutch troops. Yet Morettini had fallen in love not only with Marie-Rose Ronchan, but also with Namur, prompting him to leave Vauban's service and change sides. It was the only way that he could continue to work in the city, in what is now Belgium. After two more years in Namur he worked under Menno van Coehoorn on buildings throughout the United Netherlands. The irony of switching allegiance was that Morettini's new superior was a major challenger to his old boss in the competition to build the best fortifications in Europe.
The Urnerloch project took around eleven months to complete. It was incredibly important to the region because the population's only financial income came from the customs duties charged on the transit of goods through the almost impassable Schöllenen gorge. The Urnerloch was the very first road tunnel in modern Switzerland. It was 64 metres long and only just high enough for a carriage to pass through.
Built in 1710, the Meienschanze in Wassen is the only one of Morettini's military works in Switzerland that is still at least partly visible. It proved its worth just two years after construction, in 1712 during the Second War of Villmergen. It was here that the Urner successfully repelled the troops from Bern that had already advanced along the Susten Pass.
Genoa had for centuries been a major maritime power. It maintained its position through a combination of skilful trading, a flourishing banking sector and countless trading posts on the Black Sea. By now, though, its golden age was over. Ground down by the conflicts with Savoy and France, its decline was just a matter of time. The Genoese, meanwhile, were determined to delay it for as long as possible. To do so, they needed good defences. It was a clear case for Pietro Morettini. He worked for Genoa between 1717 and 1736, and was appointed its first engineer and director of fortifications. He produced studies and managed various construction sites, including those at Ajaccio, Calvi and Bonifacio on Corsica, which was then ruled by the Republic of Genoa.
Much of what Morettini created still stands today. Examples include the wonderful powder magazine at the Gavi Fortress, or the Palazzo della Sibilla within the Priamar Fortress in Savona. Morettini was also heavily involved in the military matters of the Republic of Genoa, rising to the rank of colonel. This commitment encouraged two of his sons to remain in the Republic's military service, later as officers in charge of organising mercenary troops.
Pietro Morettini was one of Switzerland's greatest military engineers, but also built a reputation as an architect, city planner and tunnel-builder. His experience throughout continental Europe gave him an extraordinary work ethic, and he was always producing new ideas. Impressive evidence of this is to be found in at least 40 fortifications and structures, and around 100 projects. It is therefore entirely fitting that today's tunnel between Tenero and Locarno is also known as the 'Mappo-Morettina Tunnel' in his honour.
