The New Fortress, an outstanding fortification example of the late Renaissance, was erected during the Venetian Rule (1576-1578) at the northwest end of the city of Corfu, on the rocky hill of St. Mark. It belongs to the perimeter fortification of the city, a project assigned to the engineer Ferdinardo (Ferrante) Vitelli. It was named New in order to be distinguished from the existing fortress at the eastern end of the city, which has since been called Old Fortress.

The New Fortress, like the entire western front, complies with the principles of the bastion system. It consists of two fortification levels. The low level lies in the northeast and protected the commercial port of Spilia. There stand two monumental gates. The eastern one is crowned with the winged lion of St. Mark, the symbol of the Serenissima, the Republic of Venice. The high level with the two bastions of the Seven Winds (Sette Venti) protected the town from the west, from the inland side. Shortly after its completion, the fortress was reinforced with a corn-shaped fort, named Scarpon.

The New Fortress played an important role in the last Ottoman siege in 1716, during which military operations were concentrated on the western front of the city.

Under the British Protection (1814-1864) several alterations were carried out in the fortress, as it was considered particularly important for the island's defense. The main one was the construction of the imposing defensive barracks that dominate the high level of the fortress, which was then essentially redesigned.

Today, the visit to the archaeological site begins from the imposing eastern front of the southern bastion of the Seven Winds. A gallery leads to the demibastion of Tenedos, above the low level of the fortress. A ramp leads from there to the high level of the fortress, where the large defensive barracks are located.

A second barracks building also dated to the British Protection period (today it houses the Naval Station of Corfu) is still preserved at the low level of the fortress, along with gunpowder magazines, underground water tanks, and a network of galleries for the communication of its various parts.