Defensive Architecture of the Mediterranean Vol. 23

City walls define the physical and perceptual boundaries of the historic city, characterising both the environment inside the walls and the landscape outside them. From ancient times to the modern era, city walls have played a divisive role: an interruption between the circumscribed settlement and the adjacent territory, separating the limited and known city from the countryside. Initially built to protect the city and make it ‘impervious’ to enemies, when the defensive function of the fortifications ceased, due to the new demands introduced by the contemporary era and the continuous expansion of cities outside the fortified walls, they became an integral part of urban transformations. In addition to the intrinsic ‘impermeability’ of these structures, there are further factors of cognitive inaccessibility due to the loss of continuity resulting from collapses and the erasure of sections due to the superimposition of other structures. Where the circuit of the walls is more intact, however, it can offer new perspectives on the city-palimpsest: in these cases, in fact, the city walls can be understood as permeable filter spaces that redefine the relationship between the historic centre and the external environment. Starting from these premises, through the interpretation of published sources on the physical and cognitive enjoyment of urban walls, this contribution investigates recent experiences of improving and expanding accessibility to fortifications at both national and international level. With particular attention to the Italian and Spanish contexts, the study focuses on design strategies aimed at improving the physical and cognitive accessibility of these unique and fragile heritage sites, reflecting on approaches, operational methods and results, with the aim of exploring specific issues related to restoration and architectural design projects.