The outer pier
The Fortino di San Pietro on the Molo del Lazzaretto is located inside the historic port of Civitavecchia near the Molo di San Teofanio. Like many other parts of the heart of Civitavecchia, its construction dates back to the Emperor Trajan. Of the original structure of the Fortino, the part of the "head" is the one that has been best preserved. The original model was built on "piles" and had the function of cushioning the actions of storm surges. The submerged base, instead, had a protruding frame made of pietraforte, a highly resistant material and covered with a layer of sculpted scale. The Fortino, with a circular base, originally had three floors connected by an intenal staircase
In the sixteenth century, the Molo del Lazzaretto was in a state of total abandonment and degradation. At the end of the eighteenth century, there were violent epidemics. Yellow fever was transmitted by the military to the inhabitants who were hospitalized en masse in the Lazzaretto. Those who were infected with rare and violent diseases were quarantined inside the building set up in the pier. With the arrival of the French, rules and regulations were established for the Health Administration. A peculiarity was the application of observation quarantine also for goods.
In the first half of the 19th century, the structures of the Molo del Lazzaretto were used as a hospital to accommodate the sick as well as barracks to house French soldiers. Finally, the degradation of the structures was made definitive by the bombings of the Second World War.
