The Afterlife of the Void: Addressing the Lacunae of guasti in Early Modern Italy

Dr. Chiara Capulli

Guasti, a common military strategy in sixteenth-century Italian wars, significantly transformed urban landscapes. These decrees mandated the demolition of residential and religious buildings to prevent enemy access or accommodate new fortifications. Such vastare often resulted in the permanent loss of structures, displacing their artistic legacy and reshaping cities both materially and symbolically. This project examines the guasto of L’Aquila in 1532, executed for Spanish fortifications, which erased entire neighborhoods and their symbolic topographies. The 1703 earthquake compounded these losses, creating a layered history of destruction.
Through L’Aquila as a case study, the research investigates how such urban reconfigurations oc-curred, how communities responded by salvaging elements to preserve collective memory, and how these acts impacted artistic and architectural heritage. Comparative analyses with other cities – including Padua, Vicenza, Florence, Perugia, and more under Habsburg domination in central and southern Italy – illustrate the widespread impact of guasti, particularly in the mid-Cinquecento. 
Key questions address their intentionality versus the inevitability of destruction in the wake of natural disasters, the material and symbolic legacy of demolished structures, and the potential of digital tools to illuminate urban change. The study will produce the first monograph on guasti, framing them as pivotal disruptions in the urban and artistic development of Renaissance cities.