Genese Bressani: the creator of the fortress of Spinalonga
As indicated by his last name, a mechanical engineer from Brescia was sent by the Senate of Venice to Crete in 1578 to take over the design and construction of the fortress of Spinalonga. He works on other fortifications as well, such as the acropolis (citadella) of Parma, which was his own creation, and in Corfu.
Bressani arrived on the island with precise instructions from the military leaders and the engineers of Venice to fortify the island's perimeter to exclude any possibility of invasion. He intensively studies his subject, makes systematic surveys, and develops numerous detailed plans and engravings. The enclosure, the construction he supervises, is well-organized from a defense standpoint, although it is never finished as the design changes.
The small bastion that covers the defense of the central gate to the west of the islet bears the first name of the Venetian engineer Genese Bressani, as shown in the plan of the Venetian engineer Francesco Basilicata of 1618. © "Micros Nautilus" Publications - Vikelaia Library – Local Union of Municipalities and Communities of Crete