La difesa nell’età della corsa. Fortificazioni urbane e torri costiere in Calabria tra XVI e XVII secolo

Calabria was an inevitable target for the Barbary and Turkish pirates between the XVIth and XVIIth century, for its central location and shape, extending into the Mediterranean. The region was hit hard by continuous and repeated raids; for this reasons its re-entered in the plan of reorganization of the defensive system implemented by Spanish Viceroy, starting the second half of the XVIth century. Unfortunately, the full knowledge of the ways in which it took place and the actual achievements were often hampered by the dispersal of documentary sources and, even more, by the profound transformations suffered from the territory and by the widespread ruining or disappearance of the artifacts; these have been hit by a series of devastating natural traumas, and, unfortunately, by the lack of interest and man's inconvenience. The finding of new documentary data, especially iconographic, acquires a fundamental value, because it provides new elements for defining the consistency and architectural development of defensive systems. Among them, are the well-known Code Romano Carratelli, of the late XVIth century or the Code Riccardiano 1978, of the early XVIIth century. The latter concern the Ionian coast and provide new insights on the defense system of a less well-known territorial boundary, but with very interesting structures, such as the town of Brancaleone Superiore (RC), today completely abandoned, or the castle of Le Castella (KR).