Architetture medievali fortificate e paesaggi rurali del potere: il contesto dell’Alto Brembo in alcuni casi studio

The territory of the Brembana Valley represents a privileged context for the study of late- medieval fortified buildings, which were intended as a vital prerequisite for the assertion of power at different levels, not only of high-ranking persons, but also of minor rural families. Architecture becomes the manifest of the role played in society and constitutes a key wit- ness to obtain information about the ways of living and dwelling in a specific reality. Pre- cisely, where there is a wish to declare a supremacy on the defense of territory, significant architectural traces can be found. From field to bibliographic and archival research, it’s possible to take a census and recon- struct both the concrete evidence still preserved today in the territory and within the hidden traces of fortified late-medieval contexts. There are several case studies that highlight the variety of fortified structures scattered throughout the valley, particularly in the “Alto Brem- bo” territory: the context of Averara preserves at least two structures (and probably a third), “Torre della Fontana” and “Torre sopra la Corna”, placed in an elevated position over the val- ley, which constituted a defensive and sighting system for controlling the valley floor; in the Mezzoldo area, at about 1350 meters above sea level, there is the “Castello” locality, mentioned in various documents starting from 1653; similarly, Cusio Superiore and Piazzatorre indicate the presence of areas with the toponym “Castello”; for the neighboring municipalities that de- limit the “Alta Valle”, Lenna and Piazza Brembana, sources attest two towers with a probable defensive function of the valley floor.