The citizenry, when it participates in the work and with receives continuing information (through conferences and meetings), in effect takes over the monument and becomes a protagonist in its recovery. With the excavation, the monument slowly comes to light; the walls emerge from the rubble, as does ceramic material, and various objects which, together with documents from the archives, allow one to write the true story of the castle, to undo the legends and confirm the certainties, and to understand the role that the monument has had in the history of the territory.

There is much data that has emerged from the excavation and will soon be the suitable topic of lectures and conferences; it has allowed documentation of the various phases of the castle (Norman, Swabian, Angevine, Aragonese) and I predict it will bring to light the environment of the castle buried under the rubble.

There is much more work of excavation yet to be done, but it has to be carried out within time constraints, because the walls that emerge must be restored quickly to prevent structures that were left buried for hundreds of years from being destroyed in a short period. It is worthy of mention that the excavation has been carried out by workers through central funds earmarked for socially useful projects that the community government has made available to the archaeologists.

The Castle: detail

In the end, the research that has shown itself fundamental to understanding the causes and dynamics of the castle’s disintegration have been geofoundational and geotechnical research that dealt with the foundation-base of the castle, specifically the rocky layer on which the foundation is placed.

A number of drillings were carried to a depth of 10 meters on the anterior side of the castle. From the soundings it was learned that the rock is fragmented to a depth of 5 meters and therefore has little strength. The layers of the rock were exposed, after careful clearing, and this allowed the technical expert in charge, engineering professor Eugenio Ventura of the University of Rome, to diagnose the cause of crumbling of the walls, and to prescribe the work necessary to put a brake on the slow but continuous break up of rocky portions that are compromising the immobility of the monument. It should be noted that it has emerged from the archaeological excavations that already by the year 1600 works had been carried out to strengthen the frontal aspect of the structure because there were already problems regarding its stability.

Now that all the analytical data is in, experimental work is proceeding with regard to various aspects of the restoration. In practice, before allowing contractors to begin the full projects, smaller specialized jobs are undertaken by “restorers of ancient walls and experts in strengthening” who test samples to confirm the techniques and the correct materials to use, such as strengthening the supports and joints, wall integration, strengthening surfaces in depth, superficial restorations, etc. Once the tests are carried out, then the technicians of the Superintendency along with the director of the works will choose the specific techniques to be used on the castle.

The Castle: inside the tower

This aspect of the work is particularly important because it offers, through the interface of different professions, a variety of choices, whether regarding materials to be used or the ideal methods for executing the work in various specific cases, thereby facilitating the task of the contractor who will have available precise requirements to aid him in his work and to indicate the materials to employ.

Some experimental jobs have already been carried out, particularly by architecture professor Andrej Tomatzewski of Warsaw Polytechnic, a specialist in strengthening and consolidating structures, and by the restorer Wilfred Roll, a specialist in wall restoration. This experimental segment is currently in progress, concurrently with other work planned for the project. In connection with the efforts listed above, the community administration has launched a special project, with workers employed from the community fund “for socially useful work,” to create a city park in the free areas adjacent to the Castle, that have been taken over by the town.