Description of the attraction
Mola di Bari Castle, also known as the Anjou Castle, is located in the small town of Mola di Bari, 20 km from the capital of the Italian region of Apulia, Bari. It stands on the very shore of the Adriatic Sea, and behind it you can see the Piazza Venti Settembre with the main church of the city and the Van Westerhout theater.
The Mola di Bari castle was built in 1278-1281 by order of the King of Sicily and Naples Charles I, the son of the French king Louis VIII. Pierre de Adjcourt and architect Giovanni da Toule worked on the project. The main purpose of the construction of this polygon-shaped fortress was to protect the coast from the raids of sea pirates. In 1508, the castle was besieged by the Venetians and seriously damaged. Only two decades later, in 1530, Charles V ordered the restoration of the Mola di Bari and the renovation of its fortifications. In 1613, the castle was bought by Michel Vaaz, a merchant of Portuguese-Jewish origin, and for two centuries it was owned by the Vaaz family. And in the middle of the 19th century, the last members of the family sold the castle to the Italian Ministry of Defense. Today the castle is used for conferences and sometimes cultural events.
Many times in its history, Mola di Bari has undergone alterations and restructuring, especially in its interior. From above, the castle resembles a star. But since this shape was uncharacteristic for fortifications of the 13th century, scientists suggest that the castle originally looked like a simple rectangular tower, crowned with battlements and protected by loopholes. Foundations of the walls were found between the southern and eastern ramparts, which probably also formed part of the defensive complex. Nowadays, the castle can be reached via a road bridge from the south side, where there was once a drawbridge. Right at the entrance you can see a niche for the guard, and on the wall opposite there are fragments of an old fresco depicting the Madonna and Child. The inner courtyard of Mola di Bari has the shape of an irregular trapezoid, only one of its original walls has survived, and the rest were completed in the middle of the 19th century. There was an ammunition depot and a main staircase that led to the second floor. This floor was intended for the crowned heads, and today there is a literary academy and a small theater stage.
