A ricetto was a small

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

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, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

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 Conscription, conscripted or volunteer Enlisted rank, enlisted person, a non-commissioned officer, a warrant officer, or an Officer (armed forces), officer. Etymology The wo ...

s and

mercenaries A mercenary is a private individual who joins an War, armed conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any other official military. Mercenaries fight for money or other forms of payment rath ...

from invading

armies An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

. 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 of Italian language fiction books. In 2019, the publisher was acquired by GeMS Group. History The publisher was founded in Rome Rome (Italian language, It ...

. * 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