The Role of Drawing in the Ideation and Representation of Defensive Architecture in the Sixteenth Century: The Treatise Della Fortificatione delle città (1564) by Maggi and Castriotto

This article examines the scientific, theoretical, and visual foundations of sixteenth-century military architecture through the treatise Della Fortificatione delle città (1564), edited by Girolamo Maggi and attributed to the engineer Iacomo Castriotto. The study focuses on the role of drawing in the ideation, representation, and verification of fortified architecture, highlighting the use of Euclidean geometry, geometric matrices, and measurement tools in the design and execution of defensive works. Special attention is paid to planimetric schemes, proportional rules, and instruments for calculating distances and heights, which connect theory and practice. The treatise is situated within the broader evolution of Renaissance military treatises, from De Lanteri to Lorini, and is compared with key contributions by Tartaglia, Ryff, and Dürer. Through new graphic reconstructions and comparative analysis, the article highlights the innovative and methodological value of the treatise, showing how it synthesizes scientific reasoning with practical application in response to the complex challenges of sixteenth-century fortification design.