04 Oct Important Projects Executed In The Middle Ages Of Italy 

Italy is home to some of the best engineers and architects that this world has ever produced. This means that it has had some of the best projects ever initiated in the entire world. Most of these projects (that are still standing till now) were initiated in the Middle Ages; especially the period between the late middle ages and the start of the Renaissance period.

If Italy’s architecture and engineering ingenuity has wowed you, then let me take you down memory lane and show case some of the best projects that Italy’s medieval period had to offer.

The Cloaca Maxima

“It received wide acclaim and praises from all who heard about it.”

The Cloaca Maxima is one of the largest sewer projects done in the Middle Ages. If you are in Rome, this is a must check even though the sewers are not used as much today. It is a system of seven sewers that were built in the 6th century, at the start of the medieval period. The Cloaca Maxima was one of the most stable sewer systems ever created at the time. It received wide acclaim and praises from all who heard about it. In some places along the sewers, monuments were also erected such as the “Forum Romanum”.

The Duomo

The Florence cathedral is another project that led to an architectural masterpiece. It holds the title of the largest dome in the whole of Italy. Furthermore, this project took 140 years in order for it to be completed. The main reason for this was that the architects who started working on it had no clue on how to hold the huge dome in place. It took 140 years and Filippo Brunelleschi’s ingenuity to hack the right solution for setting it up. At the moment, it happens to be one of the most stunning buildings in the whole of Italy and tourists flock to it almost every day.( See must visit places for more about Florence)

“If buildings were able to express themselves, then the tower of Pisa would definitely have a lot to say.”

Leaning Tower Of Pisa

You can’t go through the most important projects during Italy’s Middle Ages without mentioning the leaning tower of Pisa. The bell tower took two centuries to complete and later became one of Italy’s best known landmarks due to an error on the architect’s planning. It has been a victim of two wars and a third that almost threatened its very existence. If buildings were able to express themselves, then the tower of Pisa would definitely have a lot to say.

Palazzo Vecchio

The Palazzo Vecchio is a fortress palace. It has a huge monumental structure with the intention of intimidating any army that would dare attack the Florentine state in the middle ages. It was also specifically built during a period where there was turmoil and Florentine needed a fortress like structure to protect them from their enemies. The building of this project also signified one of the first ever form of democracy practised in Florence. This is because the commune voted to have the Palazzo serve as the town hall.

You can also check out other interesting facts about Italy.