I “torresini da polvere” della Serenissima: storia, rilievo e ricostruzione digitale di un’architettura militare perduta

This paper examines a primary military architectural structure essential to the defence and survival of Venice’s capital in response to advancements in early modern military technology: the torresini, or gunpowder storage towers, constructed from 1565 onward on various islands across the Venetian lagoon. To safeguard the urban centre, the Republic relocated artillery outside the city and introduced an innovative architectural typology characterised by a robust square structure with a distinctive pyramidal roof and a sophisticated subterranean ventilation system. This advanced design rapidly became a model, subsequently adopted throughout the Republic’s territories. Digital surveys of surviving structures, conducted by the ERC project Venice’s Nissology (VeNiss), combined with historical, archival, and iconographic analyses, enabled the three-dimensional reconstruction of nine buildings. By employing advanced HGIS and HBIM methodologies, the team developed interoperable 3D models that not only visualise now-lost structures but also facilitate in-depth comparative analyses of compositional features, construction techniques, materials, and technological aspects across these buildings.