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“Hey, recall that itty-bitty Italian hamlet we stumbled upon a few summers back?”
THE IDEA
DESCRIPTION:
Borgo Bricco embodies the essence of a typical Italian town from the Thirteenth Century. Optimism abounds, and urban centers thrive with great prosperity. The wealthiest families showcase their affluence by constructing towers that render the city's skyline distinct, much like today's skyscrapers!
If you have ever visited one of these villages, you will have noticed that the houses are perched on top of each other, the streets are narrow and winding, and at every corner, you breathe a timeless air. Borgo Bricco aims to evoke these sensations.
MODULARITY:
The defining feature of this project, beyond simply reproducing a small historic village, is the ability to create almost infinite game scenarios by simply rotating, opening, and combining its different parts together without the need for dismantling the model.
HISTORICAL ACCURACY:
Ensuring the accuracy of reproduction was paramount. To achieve this, I conducted extensive research in historical and architectural fields to identify typologies that, when combined, would enhance the overall effectiveness.
THE BUILD
THE DESIGN PROCESS:
To create Borgo Bricco, numerous afternoons were dedicated to crafting the six modular platforms, designed to flawlessly interconnect and maximize the variety of scenes achievable.
Following this, the construction of the buildings commenced, incorporating architectural elements inspired by various regions.
During the design and construction phases, meticulous attention was given to ensuring that each element, in its diverse configurations, seamlessly integrated without any clashes.
This necessitated numerous tests across ten compositional variations, ensuring that every aspect could be harmoniously juxtaposed to avoid any collisions. This rigorous process of refinement spanned several days.
below is a photo of a composition test with real bricks
BORGO BRICCO COMPRISES THE FOLLOWING BUILDINGS:
MODULE 01: (blue plate)
• The palace with the tower, owned by the Lombard family, reflects the Asti “casana” which refers to its association with medieval banking institutions. In this instance, it is distinguished by the presence of Ghibelline battlements.
• The Locksmith's workshop: Merchants and bankers handled significant amounts of wealth and valuable goods. Therefore, the locksmith's shop in a 13th-century Italian city was essential for adequately protecting these assets.
MODULE 02: (orange plate)
• The palace with a tower belonged to the merchants' family of Umbrian or Tuscan type, featuring Guelph battlements.
• The gate tower: It is commonly assumed that every medieval city was protected by a fortified city wall, with numerous access and toll gates connected to it. This setup was because each city functioned as a true Micro-State.
• The square with porticoed courtyard and public well: In addition to the Cathedral Square, the Municipality Square and the Market or Fair Square, there was the Cistern or Well Square. As today, water was a precious good for public use and the well was controlled and protected by special magistrates.
MODULE 03: (green plate)
• The old palace owned by the Captain of the Commoners, along with its extension (reflecting the intense building activity that could swiftly alter a city's skyline), features a balcony. This balcony served as a platform from which the “Capitano del Popolo” addressed the citizens.
below a schematic drawing of some configurations that can be composed
THE PROTAGONISTS
(NOTE: left to right on the image 6)
1: The Merchant
Just as today, the backbone of the medieval economy was based on trade. Recent studies on accounting books found in historical archives confirm the presence of female merchants as early as the late 13th century. Among the most well-documented examples is female entrepreneurship linked to gold spinning in Venice as early as the 14th century.
2: The Merchant daughter
In the Low Middle Ages, children held immense significance as they symbolized the future, much like today. Moreover, they were very numerous.
3: The Town Guardsman
A certain number of soldiers were hired by the medieval municipality to ensure public safety. They are the equivalent of today's police.
4: The Captain of the Commoners
The “Capitano del Popolo” was a political figure in local administration in medieval Italy, established primarily to balance the power and authority of noble families, who in turn were under the jurisdiction of the “podestà” (today’s mayor).
5: The Lombard woman
In the Low Middle Ages, spices, jewels, and precious fabrics were coveted luxuries. The rising bourgeoisie took pride in showcasing their newfound wealth through their public appearances.
6: The Lombard man
In the Middle Ages, the term 'Lombard' denoted Italian bankers but later evolved into a broader term for financiers. Lombard Street in London, now home to major British banks, derived its name from the Italian bankers who occupied it in the 13th century.
7: The Locksmith
Distinct from the blacksmiths' guild, locksmithing was an art involving fine metalworking. Watchmakers and key makers were also part of this guild.
8: The Locksmith son
As sometimes still happens today, even in the 13th century the activities of the fathers were often undertaken by their sons.
BORGO BRICCO BOASTS 7 STRENGTHS
1: the set can be composed in more than 60 solutions capable of recreating infinite scenes (I personally made 54 of them both with stud.io and with just the bases built with real bricks).
2: Some construction techniques are new despite being simple to assemble. This makes the set attractive to both a young audience and an adult audience who appreciates accuracy in reproduction.
3: If displayed lengthwise the set is able to reproduce a medieval skyline and can be displayed in different configurations on a shelf.
4: The educational value of the project: Being the faithful representation of a medieval urban reality before the dawn of the Renaissance, it can also be used in schools to present what certain Italian cities must have looked like after the year 1000. In fact, all the secular realities that have shaped the society that we still know today are represented in the Borgo: Credit, Commerce and Craftsmanship.
5: The set, comprised of only 3 openable and modular baseplates, provides the opportunity for gameplay on each of its 8 sides (4+4 because of the hinge), resulting in a total of 24 playable surfaces.
6: the model is compatible with numerous medieval sets already produced by Lego.
7: Most of the pieces used are standard and do not require an IP license, which in theory implies a low cost of the set.
HERE SOME NUMBERS
3000 interlocking pieces
60 different tested ways of interconnected composition for play and display mode
08 minifigs
02 chickens
DIMENSIONS:
NOTE: the measurements can vary depending on the composition that each person prefers, but in its most compact configuration (image 13), they are:
width studs: 54 cm: 43 inches: 17
length studs: 32 cm: 25 inches: 10
height studs: 44 cm: 35 inches: 14
Thank you for reading this far. I extend my heartfelt appreciation for your diligence. If you found the project appealing, I hope you will consider supporting it!
Giorgio
By
CUBETTARO
Help your fellow builder by leaving your feedback based on these three criteria:
- Originality: How original is this - never seen before?
- Building Techniques: How much skill do you think the creator of this MOC has, in terms of building technique?
- Details: Express how much you like the details of the build.
Your feedback is only shown to the creator as well as yourself. It is not available for other users to see. The creator won't see your user name.