Venetian Borderscapes

The project Venetian Borderscapes – Digital Documentation for the Study of Settlement Patterns in the Fortified Landscapes of Central Dalmatia developed out of research conducted within the framework of the 3DSebenico project, co-funded by the Veneto Region in 2023. That project examined a series of fortified sites along the Dalmatian coast and laid the foundations for collaboration between Croatian and Italian researchers in the study of defensive systems dating from the period of the Venetian Republic in the territory of the Šibenik district.

The project aims to document, analyse, and valorise fortified settlements of regular, most commonly quadrangular layout, situated along the central Dalmatian coast between Split and Zadar. These include numerous fortified settlements such as Pirovac, Vodice, Turanj, Marina, Seget, Kaštel Novi, which developed according to specific defensive and settlement patterns in response to the threat of Ottoman incursions into the Dalmatian hinterland. Such fortified complexes represented one of the principal forms of collective protection for the rural population during the Venetian–Ottoman conflicts.

Contemporary urban development has significantly diminished the legibility of their original spatial structures; however, traces of their historical urban matrices remain visible in preserved urban and architectural elements. Through the integrated analysis of historical sources, cartographic material, and architectural structures, the project therefore seeks to reinterpret the fortified settlement models of central Dalmatia using contemporary methods of digital survey and documentation. Emphasis is placed on the creation of three-dimensional databases intended to facilitate the analysis of the morphological, settlement-related, and defensive principles underlying the formation of these fortified settlements.

The project brings together four partner institutions: DIDA – Dipartimento di Architettura dell’Università degli Studi di Firenze, the Institute of Art History, the Public Institution in Culture Fortress of Culture Šibenik and SMS Porta Palio.

The programme activities of the project include the organisation of two international workshops, an exhibition, and the preparation of a publication bringing together the results of the research and documentation activities, as well as papers presented at the related scholarly events.

The project is funded within the framework of the programme Progetti di recupero, conservazione e valorizzazione del patrimonio culturale risalente alla Repubblica Serenissima di Venezia nell’Istria, nella Dalmazia e nell’area mediterranea of the Veneto Region (2025).

Dr Darka Bilić has been appointed to implement the project on behalf of the Institute of Art History. The activities are being carried out within the framework of the institutional research project From local to regional. Art of Adriatic Croatia from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

Project duration: November 2025 – November 2026

#LoRegUm #RegioneVeneto