Le fortificazioni di terra delle mura medievali di Pisa nel XVII secolo. Analisi tecnico-militare del progetto di Gabriello Ughi

From 1626, the modern age fortification of the medieval walls of Pisa, in Tuscany, started following an organic project by Gabriello Ughi that defined a new bastioned front composed of earthen ramparts, demilunes, faussebraies and cavaliers. The earthen-fortified front remained active until the last years of the 18th century; it was later demolished for reasons of public health, in the wider context of the demilitarization policies operated by Grand Duke Peter Leopold. Starting from the analysis of archival and iconographic sources, this paper shows the results of a study on the 17th century earthen fortified front, aimed at understanding forms, consistencies, and design choices in the light of Ughi’s cultural context and references. In particular, the study focuses on the analysis of the eastern front, where the project shows more interesting and articulated solutions due to the irregularities of the circuit of the preexisting medieval walls.