Urban Planning and Building Reconstruction of Southern Italy after the 1783 Earthquake: The Case of Mileto

The seismic period, that started in 1783 and lasted three years in the southern Calabria (South of Italy), caused massive damages: over 35,000 victims and relevant upheavals in the hydrogeological asset of the site. The Borbone government immediately dealt with the reconstruction of backward provinces, attempting to reorganize the economic and administrative systems by innovative criteria and by the construction with anti-seismic techniques. In this paper a preliminary reviewing of the historical sources is analysed to frame the reconstruction, highlighting the differences compared with the initial models. By the regional to the urban scale, it was assumed as case study the historical centre of Mileto, one of the five cities entirely rebuilt on another site after the earthquake. Mileto preserves the scheme of the urban planning conceived in the end of the Eighteenth century. Also in Mileto, there is the Episcopal Palace, characterized by several architectural and construction features to increase the seismic response. Despite the advanced state of deterioration, the original structure is still perfectly recognizable and allows to deepen the knowledge regarding the technology, that is unquestionably a cultural heritage to preserve, enhance and possibly to be reused. Accordingly, the authors prefigure the importance of carrying out a census of still standing buildings characterized by the Borbone anti-seismic system by suggesting possible research methodologies.