Defensive Architecture of the Mediterranean Voll. 22-23-24 Three-volume collection

Fortifications are among the most layered expressions of architectural heritage. They are complex systems deeply rooted in cities and territories, shaping their spatial forms and hierarchies. Their understanding requires a multi-scale approach, ranging from the territorial and urban dimensions to the construction level and material details, in which architecture serves as a hinge. The contributions in the volumes of the "Defensive Architecture of the Mediterranean" series offers a broad overview of research on fortifications, highlighting the richness and complexity of the subject. The books highlight the importance of applying an interdisciplinary approach capable of bringing together historical, architectural, engineering, archaeological, and landscape perspectives, raising issues of knowledge, conservation, and management nature. The Rome edition of FORTMED 2026, besides the consolidated issues, emphasize conservation as a critical synthesis between historical knowledge, material analysis, and architectural design. Digital processes of 3D surveying, modelling and representation lead to interpretation and informed intervention, facilitating the heritage management. Hosted in Rome, where walls are still part of the lived urban thresholds, FORTMED 2026 reaffirms the role of fortified heritage as an active agent in the present.