The Pietrenere Coastal Battery in Taureana di Palmi (RC)

The Pietrenere coastal battery, built near Taureana di Palmi (RC), is an example of coastal military architecture. Left unfinished, it was built at the beginning of the 19th century, as part of the struggle between the French and the English for control of the territory. The battery has an irregular six-sided plan and occupies an area of approximately 538 square meters. Its construction, interrupted at a height that is currently between 3 and 5 meters, is juxtaposed with a large rock that rises approximately 50 meters from the current shoreline. During the development of the research presented here, it was possible to trace the original unpublished project of the fortress in the Manuscripts and Rare Items section of the Central Library of Naples. Even before the precious archive document was identified, the production of an integrated digital survey of the structure had begun, performed using UAVs and terrestrial photogrammetry. The results of the survey are then presented and reflections are proposed based on the comparison between the actual state and the project state. Its unfinished form, and its location on the border between the town and the beach, relegate it to a state of apathetic coexistence with its surroundings.