Rediscovering and Representing the Identity of the Lesser Ports of Southern Italy between the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Age

The first results of research carried out within the framework of the PRIN 2022 PNRR
project entitled Recovering and representing the identity of minor ports in Southern
Italy (peninsular and islands) between the Middle Ages and the Modern Age for the
inclusion and sustainable development of coastal areas will be presented.
The working hypothesis stemmed from the interest in enhancing the coastal areas of
Southern Italy, and in particular the minor ports and landing places, which constituted a
fundamental basis for connections and exchanges between the sea and the mainland.
After inventorying the available documentation relating to the 13th–15th centuries, the
historical component of the project reconstructed the evolution of the sites of interest
over time, their role in the territory, and the changes and transformations of the different
port infrastructures in relation to the political, economic, and social dynamics of the
surrounding areas.