A ricetto was a small

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

ified area used in medieval

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

s for storing agricultural products, livestock, and working tools. It was also sometimes used for protection of the residents in case of attack, particularly from marauders and bands of

soldier A soldier is a person who is a member of an army. A soldier can be a conscripted or volunteer enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, or an officer. Etymology The word ''soldier'' derives from the Middle English word , from Old French ...

s and

mercenaries A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any o ...

from invading

armies An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

. A ricetto typically consisted of multiple buildings enclosed within a thick pentagonal perimeter, sometimes accompanied by a guard tower.

Bibliography

* Centini, Massimo (2010), ''Guida insolita ai misteri, ai segreti, alle leggende e alle curiosità dei castelli del Piemonte'',

Newton Compton Editori Newton Compton Editori, sometimes spelled Newton & Compton, is an Italian publisher. The publisher was founded in Rome by Vittorio Avanzini in 1969. The house has published mostly paperbacks and low cost editions, including literature classics, es ...

. * Settia, Aldo A. (2001), ''L'illusione della sicurezza: fortificazioni di rifugio nell'Italia medievale, ricetti, bastite, cortine'', Società per gli studi storici, archeologici e artistici della provincia di Cuneo. Architecture in Italy Fortifications by type Fortifications in Italy {{Italy-hist-stub