Il fortificare come buon governo. La testimonianza della Repubblica di Venezia

A sign of good sovereign is protection to citizens and fortifying is the best act of good government for all periods - peace and war - since it prepares in advance, discourages enemies and reassures citizens. Protection is the duty of the prince, but it also useful for the good prince to protect its subjects and their property. Of the actions taken in fortifying a place, Modernizing is most clearly associated by the good government, separating it from the more basic activities of constructing and repairing existing defenses.We will apply this investigation to the republic of Venice. The Serenissima manifests concerted efforts to provide secure conditions for its subjects to live and apply their trade. Its strong places also offer a safe haven that non-subjects would also frequent and trust to use. The republic offers its citizens a wide variety of fortified defenses, tailored to maximize their impact, especially with architectural structures alla moderna implemented throughout the domain, from Bergamo to Cyprus. This architecture of Sovereignty contains military structures, auxiliary defensive structures, and administrative structures. Venice sends the best architects and engineers of the time, both citizens and foreigners to these places to ensure their utmost quality of design and implementation. Their solutions are translated into city fortifications and forts to protect the territory (Palmanova), and traffic - anchorage places and commercial passage (Peschiera del Garda, Spinalonga, Suda, Grabusa). The city fortifications especially go through a process of enlarging and also modernizing, in various combinations: maintain existing walls and build new walled circuit further away (Candia, Canea, Spalato, Corfu); modernize only part of the defenses (Napoli di Romània, Lonato del Garda, Cerines, Sebenico); replace almost completely (Nicosia, Zara, Bergamo, Retimo). We will approach these many examples and different solutions to investigate their efficiency. The success and perennity of these defenses speak for their soundness, as effect of good govern.