Virtual reconstruction of destroyed fortifications. The case study of Santa Caterina in Verona

Military fortifications have always played a key role in territorial defense. Their location and visibility often depended on strategic military choices, such as shape. The geometric development of the latter is the result of centuries of refinement of construction techniques concerning the evolution of warfare, the architectural consistency of the fortified area, and adaptation to the orography of the territory. A final common aspect is their history, often marked by transformations that have determined the architecture's level of preservation and use. These architectures can be perfectly preserved, destroyed, or fallen into disuse. Of the latter, many examples are scattered throughout the territories, a fascinating constellation of vestiges that have lost their visibility and importance. The instruments of surveying, drawing, and representation can support the virtual rediscovery of the ancient role of architecture. This research project focuses on the Fort of Santa Caterina in Verona. Originally called Werk Hess, it is a fortification located south of Verona and built between 1848 and 1856. Only a few small traces remain today, but the Fort of Santa Caterina was an architecture of remarkable beauty because of its naturalistic and environmental inclusion, an architectural and perspective cornerstone of the fortified city due to its dominant position. Through a comprehensive course of source analysis, the survey of the existing territory, and representation in plan and space, the research project aims to give a virtual shape to this military marvel, laying the groundwork for more complex multi-disciplinary analyses of the artifact and the surrounding area.