ABSTRACT
In referring to political and military developments in Italy during the Renaissance, Eaton (2002: 56) notes that:
The walls of medieval towns may have looked impressive but they offered little resistance to modern technology. New, deep fortifications were required to stand up to the evolving situation and the sixteenth century produced a rash of military designs which took on but compromised the notion of the ideal city, not just in aesthetic terms, but also in that of ambition, reducing it to a large fortress.
