Geometria e costruzione: le scarpe delle torri del Castel Nuovo di Napoli

The renovation of Castel Nuovo in Naples, begun in 1443 by Alfonso V of Aragón immediately after the conquest, saw the collaboration of Majorcan masters skilled in the art of stone cutting and building in ashlar under the guidance of Guillelm Sagrera and internationally renowned local masons such as Onofrio della Cava. Among the most distinctive elements of the castle the piperno stone cladding of the tower’s bases, in isodomic horizontal courses and complex shapes of the outer surface, is unique and gives identity and monumentality. As documented in the contracts, the heterogeneous group of technicians, directed by the royal court, gave rise to a singular work, highlighting the pre-eminence of the Majorcans in the technique and the training of the Cavesi in the geometric control of cutting and laying the blocks. The study, supported by the digital photogrammetric survey, is aimed to to explicate and document the geometric-constructive apparatus of the stone cladding on the bases of the towers.