L’architettura di fondale nel tracciato urbano medievale: la cattedrale di Ventimiglia

The city of Ventimiglia was founded on a hilltop site and expanded rapidly, imprinting a distinct form on the surrounding territory. The development and articulation of the urban layout appear to originate from the cathedral of Ventimiglia. The church became the central element in the expansion of the settlement: the main road axes seem to be oriented in relation to the cathedral as an emerging urban pole, and the buildings intended for civil authority were placed in its proximity. Even today, despite the transformations that have partially altered the structure of the urban fabric, it is still possible to recognize how the main axes create connections between the major gates of the city and the cathedral. These axes are aligned with the church both in terms of urban and spatial configuration and in terms of perspective. The church thus becomes the focal point around which the settlement is organized, a backdrop architecture that plays a fundamental role in defining the point of origin from which the urban structure and the core of the inhabited area develop.