Kathleen Higgins-Thomas, reporter Savannah Jones, photographer Caroline Anthony, videography The Fortezza da Basso, located on the north side of Florence, appears at first to be frozen in time. However, walking into the massive superstructure, it quickly becomes clear that the fort is in fact keeping up with the times.

Fortezza da Basso, a 16th century building, has housed some of Florence's biggest modern shows.

Originally a defense station for the Medici government in the 16th century, the Fortezza is now home to Florence's largest annual fashion shows, business-to-business trading events and music concerts, such as Pitti Immagine and Prato Expo.

One of the biggest series of concerts is the month-long summer event, In Fortezza-Estate a Firenze.

Piero Pelù ramps up the crowd of Florentines and other Italians from all over the country.

This year's concert series began with rock star Piero Pelù, who performed in July 2008. A native Florentine, Perù attracted hundreds of local fans as well as other Italians. From Milan, Pisa, Rome and even small towns like Poggio a Caiano, thousands of Italian residents packed into the Fortezza to jam out to the hard Italian rock. "The fort is the only area big enough to hold [concerts] in Florence," said Danilla Mormanni, an employer of Promopoint, an exterior design group that supplies events such as In Fortezza with gazebos and audio equipment.

Covering more than one million square feet, the Fortezza subsumes spaces both old and new that can hold up to one thousand visitors each. Fiamma Domestici, director of public relations for Firenzefiera, the congress and exhibition center in charge of the Fortezza da Basso, explains that old pavilions built in the 17th century have been joined by new structures such as the Padiglione Centrale, which was built in 1975 and can seat up to 2,300 patrons. This large space does not only accommodate large-scale events like concerts and their attendees, but also many food and clothing stations, bars and even dance floors. Items such as food and clothing, as well as artifacts ranging from Native American jewelry to African garb are sold within the solid walls.

Danilla Mormanni helps visitors find their way through the large fort.

Stations for hookahs are located next to what appeared to be native South American clothing, while Heineken beer is handed out around family-owned kebab stations. People come dressed in their jeans and T-shirts inside a building made of brick made during times of cloaks and tunics, all to experience modern styles in one of the most historic landmarks in Florence.

A little history

The Fortezza da Basso was built in 1543 by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger to protect the Medici family not only from outside enemies but also from forces within the city boundaries.

The fort and the connecting walls that surrounded the city of Florence were made out of thin, red bricks and a dark, gray stone called bugneto, according to Stephano Farina, a Florence history writer. Protrusions off the fort and walls (salienti) gave a wider angle range for gun men to aim, while small windows only big enough for the barrel of a handgun (feritoie) protected stray gun fire from entering the impenetrable structure.

Though equipped strategically, the fort was never attacked in 400 years. The walls, however, were destroyed in the 1860s when Florence became Italy's new capital and the city needed to make room for new roadways.

One of the large streets, Viale Ludovico Ariosto, still has a little bit of wall left standing near the "Road to Pisa," Via Pisana.

The surviving Fortezza da Basso has seen tremendous changes over the years. Farina explains that corridors that once were pathways for the Medici military now hold the structure's source of electricity and plumbing. Newer and bigger buildings, such as new concert halls and pavilions, have been built to accommodate the thousands of yearly visitors.

The overall utility of the Fortezza has evolved as well. Within the past few decades, the fort served as a storage facility for items damaged in the "Great Flood" of 1966. It has also housed a library, stables and even a grammar school.

"The school was closed not because it was in an historic building . . . but because there has been demographic decline" in the number of school-age children, said Farina, who attended the fort's grammar school in the 60s. "Therefore, you do not need many schools."

The school closed, but concerts and other activities have taken its place as the Fortezza continues to adapt to the city's needs.