The fortifications of the State of Presidii, Orbetello and Argentario promontory

Abstract

[EN] The stronghold of Argentario promontory is one of the most important in the Mediterranean Sea, in the history of coastal defenses. In the XVI and XVII centuries, it is an important stronghold of the Spanish Empire in Italy, on the shores of the Tyrrhenian Sea. The amount of historical remains that still exist is remarkable evidence of the military science. For this reason, the defensive walls, oriented towards the inland of Orbetello and reinforced by massive ramparts, represent a notorious example of the well-known method of flanking the city walls. Such fortifications are integrated by detached forts, positioned like battleships at the roadstead, in strategic points of the promontory, beyond the lagoon and looking at the sea. The entire corpus, which was built by troops and Habsburg viceroys under the scepter of Philip II, was a well-equipped arsenal, which included warehouses, doors with drawbridges, powder magazines and ammunition depots, harbors, gatehouses, barracks and housing command, covered trenches, water-filled moats, gristmills, fish and food supplies, parade grounds, artillery emplacements, observation points for sentries, anti-mine sidewalks and the governors’ residences. Everything that has been mentioned before, is an urban construction set of great value, still existing and visible. It has been studied from geometric, formal, aesthetic and structural points of view. In the eyes of a twenty-first century man is like a huge motionless tank, equipped for artillery radial shooting. The historical study and recovery of these works of architecture get meaningful documentary and didactic value and have strategic relevance in the field of urban planning. Keywords: fortification, ramparts, construction, urban project.