The Santa Croce or San Giovanni stronghold stands along the via Santa Croce, in the Castello neighbourhood. It has a pentagonal layout and platform distributed on different levels.
In the early 1500s, the Spanish viceroy Joan Dusay had a stronghold erected to defend the western part of the fortress.
In 1530-32, the first work began to bring the stronghold to the same level as the Santa Croce church and provide it with a bunker to house the barracks and warehouses.
In 1567-68, the engineer, Rocco Capellino changed the left side and in 1576-77 Giorgio Paleari extended the northern side by demolishing a part of the Cortina di San Guglielmo.
In 1738, under the ruling House of Savoy, the stronghold was home to the Dragoni Barracks named after Carlo Emanuele III. The barracks remained protected up until 1867 when the Town Council handed over the buildings to private individuals, transforming them into modest homes.
The panorama over the Stampace neighbourhood can be admired from the Santa Croce stronghold as far as the Santa Gilla lagoon.
