Two “alla moderna” Fortresses on the Edge of Urban Form. A Design Brief for Ferrara and Castelfranco Emilia
Journal title STORIA URBANA
Author/s Roberta Lucente, Giuseppe Canestrino, Gilda Catalano
Publishing Year 2025 Issue 2024/178
Language Italian Pages 25 P. 103-127 File size 638 KB
DOI 10.3280/SU2024-178005
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In the broad panorama of fortifications and military architecture, “alla moderna” fortresses stand out as architectural artefacts with strong formal features, whose evolu- tion reveals fascinating dynamics of dialogue between past and present. Originally de- signed for defensive purposes, these structures have undergone profound transforma- tions over time, assuming different symbolic and social roles, often related to the changes they contributed to in the urban context. The cases of Ferrara’s Fortress, today a symbol of urban insecurity, and Castelfranco Emilia’s Urban Fortress, which current- ly contains a work and detention house, are of particular interest. These two fortresses thus assumed a marginal role in the balance of the urban fabric after having been at the centre of the city’s political debate for several centuries, in part because they were phys- ical manifestations of the Ecclesiastical State’s control over its territories. It appears necessary to construct a design brief for the Ferrara Fortress and Urban Fortress that integrates historical, typological and sociological analyses, paving the way for new approaches to repurposing this valuable architectural heritage. This essay pushes this agenda, through an approach that aspires to stimulate an interdisciplinary and multiscale design dialogue.
Keywords: Architectural Design, Urban History, Urban Form, Urban Sociology, Fortress, Bastion.
Roberta Lucente, Giuseppe Canestrino, Gilda Catalano, Due fortezze “alla moderna” ai margini della forma urbana. Un’istruttoria progettuale per Ferrara e Castelfranco Emilia in "STORIA URBANA " 178/2024, pp 103-127, DOI: 10.3280/SU2024-178005