L'incastellamento nella valle del Licenza

This paper presents the results of a study of the phenomenon of “Incastellamento” in the Licenza Valley, a subject that is still highly debated in the Italian medieval academic community. This work has mainly focused on the analysis of the monumental ruins of abandoned castles of the early fifteenth century through a field survey. In this area of Lazio castles are characterized by a strong dichotomy: castles with an economic-productive function and castles with a strategic and defensive role. Economic functions came to dominate over other fortified villages, causing the depopulation and abandonment of strategic castles.