6 DEFENSIVE ARCHITECTURE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN XV TO XVIII CENTURIES Vol. VI PROCEEDINGS of the International Conference on Modern Age Fortifications of the Mediterranean Coast FORTMED 2017 DEFENSIVE ARCHITECTURE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN XV TO XVIII CENTURIES Vol. VI Editor Ángel Benigno González Avilés Universidad de Alicante. Spain EDITORIAL PUBLICACIONS UNIVERSITAT D’ALACANT FORTMED 2017 Colección Congresos UA Los contenidos de esta publicación han sido evaluados por el Comité Científico que en ella se relaciona y según el procedimiento de la ``revisión por pares´´. © editor Ángel Benigno González Avilés © de los textos: los autores © 2017, de la presente edición: Editorial Publicacions Universitat d’Alacant. www.publicaciones.ua.es/ Imprime: ISBN: 978-84-16724-76-5 (Vol.VI) Depósito legal: A 494-2017 FORTMED – Modern Age Fortifications of the Mediterranean Coast, Alicante, October 26th, 27th, 28th 2017 Defensive Architecture of the Mediterranean. XV to XVIII centuries / Vol VI / González Avilés (Ed.) © 2017 Editorial Publicacions Universitat d’Alacant Digital tools for documentation and interpretation of the fortification system of Elba: the Giove Fort as a connection point between ancient routes and visual targets. Giulia Baldia, Mirco Puccib, Giorgio Verdianic aDipartimento di Architettura, Florence, Italy, [email protected] bDipartimento di Architettura, Florence, Italy, [email protected] cDipartimento di Architettura, Florence, Italy, [email protected] Abstract Elba territory presents a dense network of forts and outposts created by the various dynasties and conquerors that ruled the Island through the centuries. This defensive apparatus was connected by ancient paths, routes and visual systems, as it is possible to notice from the landscape, showing the various watch towers located on hills. The visibility among these archaeological evidences can still be observed as no changes has been made to their context. The most important fortresses are: Giove Fort, Volterraio Castle and St. Giovanni Tower, which are located on strategic areas to control the whole perimeter of the Island and of the Mediterranean Sea. They represent a potential visual line on heights, which all coastal fortification systems referred to. The use of digital tools, 3d laser scanner technologies and photogrammetric survey, make possible to understand the evolution of this military apparatus and the communication method between the Giove Fort and the other main outposts. The acquired data aim to a better knowledge of the Giove Fort and the role it played in the past. The final documentation can provide an improvement of the bibliography, promoting a kind of virtual tourism. By the use of multimedia applications and web sites, visitors can interact with digital and physical 3D-models of the archaeological complex, avoiding accessibility obstacles. The paper proposed here will show the description and the analysis of this documentation and dissemination project. Keywords: Fortification System, Elba , Archaeology, Digital Survey, Landscape. 1. Introduction Elba shows an articulated defensive fortification Piombino Channel, the southern ones the system, quite well preserved and therefore still Tyrrhenian Sea, and the western coasts face visible. Fort Giove, built by the Appiani during directly the neighbour Corsica. The history of the 16th century, represents the most important the human settlements on the island covers a strategic and logistic fortification among all the very wide chronologic period, and developed others along the Tyrrhenian coasts. around its mineral resources and strategic position in the Mediterranean Sea. The iron 1.1. Territorial dynamics resources on the island guaranteed one of the Elba is the largest remaining stretch of land from most important traffic in the Middle Age and the ancient tract that once connected the Italian also assured trade relations with all countries in peninsula to Corsica. The northern coasts face the Mediterranean Sea, Sardinia, Corsica, Spain, the Ligurian Sea, the eastern coasts the France, Sicily and all the other island of the 353 archipelago, down to North Africa. The firsts to concentrated. The necessity to protect the most arrive at Elba looking for copper were the productive mining areas together with the Neolithic navigators, followed by Etruscan first shortage of landing points, determined the and Romans afterwards. These conquests led location for the sight and defense points and also inevitably to the formation of a defensive for human settlements and villages (examples fortified system: towers, castles and fortresses are Monte Giove and the Giove Fortress, the arouse all over the island. This defensive system nearby and almost disappeared Grassera, reached its most important period with the Capoliveri, Porto Azzurro and the coast of Maritime Republic, when Pisa and Genova Cavo). As already seen, the defensive system is contended for the rule of the mediterranean sea closely related to the vicissitudes of the territory and the Church increased its role on the island and to the various dominations when the sending monks and encouraging the realization outposts were strengthened according to the of churches and hermitages. However the needs of their times. Some scholar believe that diffusion of the military apparatus reached its most of the fortifications were built on the isle at maximum period of glory under the Appiani the end of XIII century, when the Genoese dynasty first, and under the Medici family then. thread became more and more dangerous until it The following centuries saw the decadence of culminated with the occupation of the island in this defending system during the Spanish 1290. However not all the fortified outposts built monarchy and the Napoleonic period. The on Elba during the century had a military nature: military defence system was dismantled little by Volterraio Castle and Fort Giove had a defensive little during the French domination and after the character as they could accommodate the insurrections of the Elba people. Today only few population in the event of a siege. At the same traces of these architectural remain, but are time, with the intensification of Turkish raids fundamental for a deep study of the fortification during the whole XVI century, some small system and a better understanding of the story of fortified villages and Comuni grew up, this territory. characterized by ecclesiastical-military structures, as shelters for the inhabitants and able 2. Ancient routes and visual targets to defend the territory (see San Piero, Volterraio Castle, Marciana, Rio nell’Elba and the old The defensive outposts rise on specific places medieval village of Grassera, at the base of according to the conformation of the ground: Mount Giove). Architects and military usually built on heights to have full control of engineers, most of them italian, contributed to the seas, and along the coasts to defend the the design and realization of these sight and inland valleys and the most important minerary defence points. This articulated sighting system sites of the island. Besides fortresses on heights between fortress on top of hills and outposts there is a network of archaeological structures, along the coast allowed, visual connection to as towers, fortified villages, fortified churches, each other, a better control over the inner and sighting sites on halfway from the coasts valleys, all along the coasts and on the Tuscan and the mountains, or near valleys and rivers. Archipelago, beside a quick and safe The majority of the military outposts are propagation of warning and other information positioned in the western and central part of the with fire signals. The analysis of the isle where the morphology of the ground offers communication system used by these fortresses strategic sites on heights, difficult to be points out a main visual axis (east to west) conquered in case of siege and with a wide view formed by the Giove Fort, Volterraio Fortress, on the archipelago, on the inside trade and on the St. Giovanni Tower, all situated on promontories other outposts. This defensive network, overlooking the coasts and the Mediterranean however, developed also in the eastern part of Sea and connected to other secondary visual the isle where the richest iron reserves are systems. 354 Fig. 1- Main visual axis of the sighting system (M. Ticci, M. Pucci, G. Baldi 2017) The complex of Volterraio with the etruscan reinforced and of which we have no evidence fortress and the Church of San Leonardo, is the remained. main centre of this important visual axis. The The potential visual axis on heights and the complex is situated on Mount Veltraio at 394 mt ancient routes connecting the whole network of above sea level in the central part of the island outposts are still visible today as the original near Portoferraio. The sighting system develops landscape has not changed and there are no from here both to the west for about 15,7 km buildings or architectures to stop the perception towards St. Giovanni Tower (300 mt above sea of visual targets. level) overlooking the Gulf of Marina di Campo - built in the XI century under the dominion of Pisa – and for 4,5 km towards the eastern part of the island, rich in iron mines, dominated by Giove Fort (Mount Giove 352 mt above sea level), and from here towards the Tyrrhenian Coast. The use of digital tools, the analysis and experimental methods for management and postproduction of the data, allow to hypothesize the presence of other outposts between the Fig. 2- The Volterraio Castle seen from Giove longest distances: probably small wooden forts Fort (Mirco Pucci, 2017) destroyed in the course of time, never rebuilt or 355 3. The Giove Fort castle was besieged by the Ottoman pirate Dragut who enslaved the refugees. From that The use of digital tools, 3d laser scanner moment the history of the fort follows the events technologies and photogrammetric survey, make related to the occupation of the Island by the possible to understand the evolution of this Spanish monarchy, passing through a series of military apparatus and the communication attacks that inevitably lead to the slow decay of method between the Giove Fort and the other the complex.