Galliass dockyard

 supermarket, shipyard

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It was Cosimo de' Medici who wanted a galliass dockyard so the galliasses of the Order of the Santo Stefano Knights (and later those of all the Granducato navy) could be built and repaired; it was founded on March 15th 1561. Just like the Order of Malta, this Order of Knights had been founded to protect the Mediterranean from the Saracens.

The wall that separated the fortified town from the sea was thinner precisely opposite the dockyard so that it could be knocked down and rebuilt quickly when the galliasses were to be launched.

The ogival arches and part of the aqueduct behind the dockyard, that is held up by arches, are all that is left of the original building.

Atfter the Second World War it became the home of the indoor market; today there is a small supermarket and some shops inside. www.infoelba.com/