Antonelli

The Rock of Gibraltar rises on the West, on the European side, closing the Mediterranean basin, and corresponds to the Phoenician Calpe, one of the two Hercules’ columns that in antiquity bordered the limit
of the world. Inhabited since prehistoric times, the small peninsula is characterized by a promontory with cliffs overlooking the sea and it has an history intimately linked to its strategic position and therefore
characterized by military events and the development of fortifications to defend the important commercial port and outpost control of Mediterranean. First military structures date back to Arab conquest even if not much remains of the high-medieval fortresses, especially as result of numerous conquer wars that alternated from 1309, when King of Castile Ferdinando IV tried to reclaim the peninsula, until 1501 when
the city was finally incorporated into the dominions of Queen Isabella of Castile. In 1552 Carlo I sent Giovanni Battista Antonelli, an Italian military engineer at the service of Spanish Crown, to erect bastions
and a military wall to fortify the city. The remains of Antonelli’s fortresses are still visible today and it is possible to virtually reconstruct the development of the fortified system that characterized Gibraltar during the successive wars, until the treaty of Utrecht which sanctioned the dominion of Great Britain and beyond the Great Siege of Gibraltar that saw the Spanish trying in vain to subtract the peninsula from the British. Through inspections and photogrammetric surveys, the contribution presents a reflection for the study of Antonelli’s defensive system in the desire to document what remains of the military system designed by the Italian engineer. The elaboration of 3D models of analysis, from architectural scale to wall masonry detail, identifies methodological processes of digitization for the development of a possible project of enhancement of the wall circuit within the modern urban and infrastructural asset of the Rock.

The geometry underlying the design of sixteenth-century fortifications is a subject of considerable interest among scholars of military architecture. Many treatises from the period emphasize the importance of using geometrical constructions for the design of defensive elements in proper proportion to the entire edifice. One treatise, the Epitomi delle fortificationi moderne, was written in 1560-1561 by Italian military engineer Giovanni Battista Antonelli (1527-1588), whose family had been in the service of the Spanish crown for nearly a century. In this paper, we investigate the methods set forth by Antonelli in his work, paying particular attention to the geometrical design of typical architectural elements in fortifications of the early modern period. We then provide a case study of the reconstruction of a bastion according to the engineer's proposals.

The engineer Bautista Antonelli’s (Gatteo, c.1545 - Madrid, 1616) unpublished testament is a precious document as its terms reveal interesting information about his biographical and professional features. On the one hand, Bautista’s constant and strong professional awareness runs throughout the document due to his own lifelong dedication and his sense of belonging to a family of military engineers. On the other hand, this testament allows an analysis of the links that Bautista kept in the twilight of his life with certain places (Madrid, Gatteo, Alicante and Havana), as well as mapping his relationships with some important personalities of the time such as the engineer Antón Coll or Antonio de Herrera, who was secretary of Vespasian Gonzaga. Summing up, the testament sheds light on the complex figure of Bautista, reveals new biographical and professional aspects and contributes to a better understanding of his poliorceticon work in the Mediterranean and American areas.

(ES): En 1561, el ingeniero militar italiano Juan Bautista Antonelli fue encargado por la Monarquía hispánica para reconocer la costa del Reino de Valencia. En ese viaje realizó un extenso informe sobre la montaña. Allí consideró a Bernia como la parte más vulnerable ante la invasión esperada del ejército turco coordinada con la población de los moriscos valencianos. Por lo tanto, identificó la necesidad de construir una fortaleza en Bernia. En abril de 1562, comenzó su construcción. Surgieron opiniones desfavorables, tanto por su ubicación, como por el excesivo costo de mantenimiento en relación con su escaso efecto en la defensa de la costa valenciana. Sin embargo, Felipe II siempre mantuvo la necesidad de su existencia. Con la expulsión de los moriscos valencianos en 1609, la fortaleza perdió su función y en 1612 se ordenó su demolición. En el discurso de J.B. Antonelli para Bernia se encuentra un análisis exhaustivo de esta montaña y su entorno, que racionaliza los diferentes parámetros físicos, humanos e históricos para una comprensión global del territorio y determina la solución óptima para su defensa. Comienza así también desde el arte militar, la concepción moderna de la planificación territorial. (EN): In 1561 the Italian military engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli was commissioned by the Hispanic Monarchy for survey of the coast in the kingdom of Valencia. On that trip he made an extensive report on the mountain Bernia considered the soft underbelly against an expected invasion of the Turkish Army coordinated with the population of the Valencian Moorish. Therefore it identified the need to build a fortress on Bernia. In April 1562, its construction began. They emerged unfavorable opinions both for its location as the excessive cost of maintenance in relation to its little effect on the defense of the Valencian coast. Nevertheless Philip II always maintained the need for its existence. With the expulsion of the Valencian Moorish in 1609 the fortress lost its function and in 1612 its demolition was ordered. In the speech J.B. Antonelli for Bernia lies a thorough analysis of this mountain and its environment, which rationalizes the different physical, human and historical parameters for a omprehensive understanding of the territory and determine the optimal solution to their defense. It starts thus also from the military art, the modern conception of territorial planning.

Cartagena de Indias, one of the main Spanish commercial ports in the Caribbean Sea, was strategically built on a system of islands and peninsulas that formed a lacustrine system along the coast of Tierra Firme, known today as Colombia. For several centuries, Cartagena fortifications have been at the forefront of Spanish military technologies. This site became the scene of action of the main military engineers at the service of the Spanish crown. In 1586 Battista Antonelli received from King Philipe II the task to design this monumental defensive system. The first project for the Cartagena wall enclosure (1595) is due to Battista and it was continued and modified by his nephew Cristoforo Roda. Nowadays, Antonelli walls still fit into the urban fabric of the city and delineate the perimeter of the historic city. The research project follows the previous research experiments conducted by the Lab DAda-LAB of the University of Pavia in the territory of Panama for the study of the Antonel...