Malatesta fortresses and castles

9fortresses capable of containing a small garrison and with lookouttowers, isolated or surrounded at most by a small enclosure, whichserved to keep watch over the surrounding territory and to sendsignals. The constructions which have survived to the present day,however, have almost all been much altered or reduced to barelylegible ruins. It must be remembered that numerous as thesesurvivors are, they are nevertheless only a very small part of asystem which had already reached its apogee of size and efficiencyin the 1470s, when the territory was protected by a completenetwork of fortifications. The insecurity of the State regarding itsenemies both within and without had compelled it to fortify everyspot of any strategic importance, not simply the borders, which inany case were always ill-defined and often subject to unforeseenand sometimes substantial changes.The Malatesta rulers continually altered their fortifications tomake them more secure and to bring them into line with newmethods of combat and siege. The period of major transformationwas undoubtedly the rule of Sigismondo, partly because thisperiod also coincided with the more frequent and massive use of anew and terrible weapon: artillery. Sigismondo became ruler ofRimini in 1432, when he was barely fifteen years old, and beganalmost immediately to restore and improve the fortifications of histerritory: Marco Battagli, in his Chronicle written at the same time,wrote admiringly of Sigismondo “Even from his adolescence heperfected that which an entire generation could hardly haveaccomplished.” These works were intended to make the militaryconstructions truly functional, not “beautiful”; or rather, to givethem not abstract beauty but the beauty of complete coherence,where every part of the construction was perfectly suited to itsmilitary purpose.A practical mind, especially well versed in the art of war,inventor of new explosive devices: this was Sigismondo, accordingto Roberto Valturio; and Sigismondo personally took aconsiderable part in designing and modernising the defences of hisState. But he did ask for advice from others, and in 1438 heobtained Filippo Brunelleschi as supervisor for all the work then inprogress in his territory, both in Romagna and in Le Marche. InMarch 1454 Leon Battista Alberti also came to see the Malatestafortifications, together with Matteo de’ Pasti; it is certain that hevisited Senigallia (a town “re-founded” by Sigismondo, then beingbuilt), and he probably made a wide reconnaissance of theMalatesta lands.