Le fortezze della famiglia Ruffo in Calabria

The House of Ruffo of Calabria was one of the most important family of Naples Kingdom. Its presence is attested in the Norman epoch among XI and XII century: at that period Ruffo built some castles in Calabria. This article analyzes four of these fortress: particularly those of Scilla, Bagnara, Nicotera and San Lucido. These four fortress are placed along the coastline of the Low Calabrian Tyrrhenian: they have dominant position and they are characterized by a panning of strong landscape value other than strategic. This study recalls their principal historical-monumental values and it devotes attention to the architectural aspects with reference to the landscape and urban context. The castle of Scilla has been select as representative case to develop a cognitive procedure: the finality is to collect useful information for a possible work of conservative restoration of the castles for their enhancement. In particular there are illustrated the results of a close “anamnestico” examination and of a laboratory’s investigation effected on the constitutive materials.