Fortezze del mediterraneo orientale e rappresentazioni attraverso la storia: il caso di Durazzo

Abstract

Eastern Mediterranean cities affected by numerous episodes of warfare over the centuries are marked by defense structures and fortified architecture that have characterized their physiognomy and identity over time. In general, the Balkan and Greek states were largely marked by fortresses and bastions placed to protect conflicts that occurred frequently from sea and land. Images of Mediterranean cities and landscapes are therefore profoundly distinguished by bastions, city walls, towers and castles, which, in relation to the conflicts and wartime events of these territories, allowed for a conspicuous iconographic, cartographic and literary production. In fact, alongside the material traces left by fortifications and architectural structures, there are historiographic sources that offer, within a vast time span, documentation of great interest. Particularly in the context of the Venetian domains scattered along the Balkan and Greek coasts during the centuries of the Serenissima, there are numerous accounts of cartographers and travelers who, with stories and drawings, describe the domains of the Venetian Republic in the Mediterranean. Representations of cities and the fortified landscape are therefore particularly interesting tools that enable the analysis of defensive architectural structures through the centuries. This essay intends, therefore, to examine the representations and accounts produced by cartographers and travelers who showed interest in the cities of the eastern Mediterranean. Nevertheless, it will be useful to compare the different images in order to analyze and reconstruct the morphological characteristics of the structures and their transformations over time. Thus, the review of works by distinguished Italian and foreign authors allows us to distinguish cities and fortified architecture that represent evidence of considerable interest for the study of known territories and lesser-known places that qualify as landmarks of exceptional historical value.