La Fortezza di Girifalco: tecniche costruttive e caratteri di un’architettura

The hill overlooking Cortona has played such a significant military importance that, even if over time changes for defensive purposes in relation to the technical progress of the artillery were made, has maintained for centuries the function of an outpost to defend the town. In the periods in which the fortress was modernised, it was necessary not to make it temporarily vulnerable and the works proceeded adding buildings that would not have reduced the defense capabilities of the pre-existing fortress. This approach has left important traces of the fortress's structures of different eras. The medieval part of the fortress consisted of the dungeon flanked by oblique walls that leaned against the inner side of the city walls, creating an irregular pentagon shaped courtyard. In the first half of the 16th century, on the outer side of the city walls, the construction both of the bastions of ‘Sant'Egidio’ and ‘San Giusto’ and of a rampart placed before them was started. When the works were finished with the construction of the remaining bastions of ‘Santa Margherita’ and ‘Santa Maria Nuova’, the stretch of the city walls included in the area of the new fortress in two sections was dismantled. The study highlighted how the ground was widely used in the thick walls built in the 16th century. Moreover, among the bastions differences in shape and construction techniques came to light, because of the complex phases of the interventions carried out in that time.