Castello De Falconibus: A Medieval Castle in Pulsano, Italy
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.8
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Italy
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Kingdom of Naples
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page8 sections
History
Castello De Falconibus is a medieval castle in Italy, in the center of Pulsano, whose construction dates broadly to the tenth or eleventh century. The complex began as a fortified hunting lodge and later became a larger stronghold associated with the De Falconibus family and the history of the surrounding fief.
Origins and medieval expansion
The earliest structure was the Torre Quadrata, also known as the Torre Massima. Around 1100, repeated raids by Saracen pirates, a medieval European term for Muslim peoples linked particularly with the Islamic Mediterranean, encouraged local residents to move inland from the coast. The tower offered refuge because its position could not be seen from the shoreline.
The De Falconibus family acquired the partly ruined tower and expanded it with four further towers of different forms. In 1274, the fortress and its associated fief, a territorial holding granted by a lord in return for service, belonged to the Sambiasi family. In 1350, ownership passed to F. dell’Antognietta, who later sold the fortress to Ercole Petugy. Petugy restored the Torre Quadrata.
Destruction and rebuilding
The De Falconibus eventually recovered possession of the fief. After the castle was destroyed in 1388, rebuilding began in 1430 and was completed in 1435. This later connection with the family accounts for the name that the castle continues to bear.
Later owners and military changes
After further changes of ownership, the castle became property of the Muscettola family. They added a moat and drawbridge, a bridge that could be raised to control passage across the defensive ditch. An underground route connected the castle toward Castello Muscettola and the sea, although it was later sealed.
During the early nineteenth century, Joachim Murat, the French military commander who became king of Naples during the Napoleonic period, ordered the castle’s three cannons to be moved to Taranto. They were used in the city’s defence against the Spanish.
Municipal administration and present use
In 1819, Giovanni Muscettola leased the moat area to several families, who turned it into gardens. The arrangement helped bring parts of the castle into adjoining properties and conceal them behind later walls. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, the complex has been administered by the municipality. Giovanni Giannone acquired it after the death of the last male Muscettola heir and donated it to the town.
The castle served for many years as the seat of municipal administration before the offices moved to a purpose-built building named for Luigi Sturzo, an Italian Catholic priest and politician associated with Christian democratic politics. Castello De Falconibus now hosts art exhibitions and houses the municipal council. It also accommodated a living nativity scene for several years.
Remains
Castello De Falconibus occupies the northeastern corner of Pulsano’s former town walls. It is a rectangular or quadrangular, three-storey complex built with rubble stone and dressed stone. Five towers of varying size, shape, and base define the fortified structure, while the entrance faces west toward Piazza Castello.
Towers and enclosed walls
The Torre Quadrata, or Torre Massima, stands toward Piazza Castello and preserves the form of the original single-tower complex. Four additional towers were added during the castle’s expansion, creating the present five-tower arrangement. The northern and eastern walls, together with three towers, are incorporated into adjoining properties and concealed behind their walls.
Part of the southern wall became accessible only in the 1990s. It had supported a small building from the early twentieth century, which housed a public telephone until the 1960s and was later demolished. The surviving fabric includes the coats of arms of the De Falconibus and Muscettola families, fragments of painted decoration, and several small stone reliefs.
Moat, gardens, and underground passage
The castle formerly had a moat and drawbridge, and the moat area continues to serve as gardens. The underground passage leading toward Castello Muscettola and the sea remains sealed. Together, these elements preserve evidence of the complex’s defensive arrangements and its physical relationship with nearby fortified property and the coast.
