Firenze oltre le mura: l’ “urbanizzazione” delle campagne vicine alla città tra XIII e XIV secolo

The process of 'urbanisation' of the Florentine countryside closest to the city, marked since the mid 12th century by the political, economic and social influence of the nearby city of Florence, provoked a massive restructuring of the entire territorial structure. The dynamics of this process are highlighted by the precocious and rampant phenomenon of decastellation and the subsequent reuse of the ancient castra realised through the development of new types of buildings for the benefit of the city's ruling class: tower houses, “palagi” (mansions), fortilitia that flanked the ancient castra and, in a short time, replaced them.