La Campania. Primi dati

Medieval residential buildings in Benevento and Capua have received only occasional interest from scholars who have studied these urban sectors. For both cities, with a similar view to recovering the past, previous and ongoing studies show one- or two-storey dwellings using both wood and masonry. Also, in Benevento, we are familiar with the so-called “casa-pontile”, an indispensable structure designed to connect two parts of the same property standing on different sides of a public road. In Capua, it is possible to detect urban traits that preserve original medieval cores, and that, departing conspicuously from the pattern of building plots, offer interesting prospects for research into the monumental evolution of the construction of palazzi. Similarly, studies of residential buildings in Salerno are also far from numerous. However, a perusal of published data, and a re-reading of archival data relating to excavations conducted in the last forty years, primarily in connection with the post-earthquake restructuring of 1980, help to complete the picture highlighted years ago by Paolo Delogu, also clarifying how post-classical sites were structured, while still leaving grey areas regarding forms, techniques and skilled builders. In order to understand housing types within fortified sites, where the use of stone is predominant as of the 10th century, a new appraisal of the findings for Capaccio Vecchia, together with data from the excavation campaigns at the sites of Lettere, Mercato San Severino, Mondragone and Nocera Inferiore, allow us to identify common characteristics, which are not surprising considering their function and location.