One is reminded of Malta's famed Fort Saint Elmo,
during the 1565 Ottoman Siege of Malta, built at the
end of the Sciberras Peninsula dividing Malta's two
great harbors, with high ground beside it. During the
Ottoman attack on Malta, St. Elmo was perceived by
them as an easy mark, meriting an immediate assault.
In the event, however weak its
position, St. Elmo withstood
the Ottoman attack for
weeks, draining the invaders
of energy, men and supplies,
diverting them from attacking
Fort St. Angelo, not to mention
Mdina and other points vital
to conquering the island. This
fatal miscalculation, resulting
from a strenuous attack on a
weak target, which held out
for far longer than anticipated,
significantly contributed to the
ultimate Ottoman withdrawal.
Caprarola, had the fortress
been completed, would have
served a similar purpose.
For whatever reason, this
improbable fortification, begun
by the first Alessandro Farnese, was abandoned, making
way for the splendid palace which would be built atop
the bastions by his grandson, the second Alessandro.
Suffice to say, once complete, the palace at Caprarola,
with its immensely complex iconography, architectural
language and physical context provides a boundless
HYLAND
