MOLA DI BARI (Bari) – It was Charles I of Anjou who ordered the construction of the Castle of Mola di Bari, together with the reconstruction of the city, as a bulwark against Saracen incursions, entrusting the works to the military architects Pierre d’Angicourt and Jean de Toul. At first the Royal Palace was built, corresponding to the current south-eastern wing of the fortress, then the remaining part was built which, in all probability, must have had the appearance of a rectangular tower on three floors, equipped of battlements on the terrace, of loopholes and machicolations for throwing stones, arrows and other throwing weapons. Remains of walls of the original Angevin structure have been found in the area between the current southern and eastern bastions, near the main entrance.
Around the middle of 1300 the fortress was reinforced with the erection of two cylindrical towers to the south and east and, most likely, in the same period an ancient portal should have been built along the eastern curtain. A century later, further consolidation and reinforcement works were carried out, including a whole series of cylindrical towers by the architect Gaspare Toraldo, of which only one remains today.
With the advent of firearms, the need arose to have fortresses that were more solid and resistant to the impact of balls fired from artillery pieces such as cannons and bombards, therefore the layout of the fortresses changed significantly. Consequently, steps were taken to lower the wall by raising other oblique walls next to the previous Angevin walls and reinforcing the interstices with waste material. Furthermore, bastions were inserted to defend the curtains and equipped with muzzles for flanking fire and emplacements were created for artillery pieces.
In 1508 the city of Mola suffered a violent siege by the Venetian armies which caused considerable damage to the castle, therefore a restoration of the entire complex became necessary. A few years later, in fact, Emperor Charles V ordered the works to be carried out, entrusting the direction to the architect Evangelista Menga, who was responsible for the current shape of the star-shaped polygon castle, which was connected to the city walls by a bridge and it was surrounded by a moat. The walls were rebuilt as a slope, with significantly inclined corners, to better resist possible sieges.
Starting from the 18th century, the structure began to decline due to human neglect which led to the collapse of some vaults and curtains and, in the 1950s, a cinema was also added to the manor on the western side. Finally, after recent restorations, the Castle of Mola di Bari has regained its imposing size.
Cosimo Enrico Marseglia
