The Courtyard of the Bishop's Castle 
The delicate issue of recovery of the historical center of Grottaglie, for which there is a detailed plan, signed by Professor Pierluigi Cervellati, seems to be entrusted to a schizoid personality, that if one side says it wants to intervene in the recovery of the ancient village following the guidelines outlined in the plan on the other hand, those rare times when he decides to act, it should be in the opposite direction. It could also take on the contours of a funny comedy, were it not for the violent blows inflicted on his poor old town grottagliese which should instead be the object of protection and preservation.
examples of them can be many and the case does not seem to spread once again the list because, even property City, is rotting away for carelessness and indifference of the guilty who should act, instead of spending public money and spread in the pre-election unnecessary plazas and squares. You must instead necessarily tackle the most of the next scheduled havoc, either for his impending execution, either by the gross vulgarity that characterizes it. This is the functional recovery of the south-east of the bishop's castle, whose design was entrusted to the architect Antonio Fanigliulo.
will be helpful to remember that the original nucleus of the castle probably dates to the late fourteenth century, but the sources in this regard are rather conflicting, and therefore can be much more old. It arises, not surprisingly, on the edge of the ravine of San Giorgio, thus is protected for most of its perimeter by the steep walls of the same. And if the fate of the ravine has gone in the direction of a progressive transformation from a natural place for human settlement in the production of functional ceramics, overlooking the castle, after a series of humiliations suffered by some ten years was finally taken by the City and rented transformed into an exhibition space where to allocate the Museum of Ceramics.
This new and closer relationship with the underlying district shall not, however, to overshadow the primitive, closely linking the castle, viscerally, with the stone that calcarenitic Gravina, who own the hall of the castle has its physical continuum.
Anyone who has visited the Bishop's Castle in Grottaglie, maybe during one of the many exhibitions that are held there, you will become aware of their unique morphology of the manor: it is accessed through a large portal, you go through a short hallway From the wide barrel vault which finally opens in the courtyard. On it is bordered by the main tower and the medieval service areas now used as museum. What's unique is that the area of \u200b\u200bthe courtyard is made up almost entirely from the original plan of campaign of the ravine and that stone calcarenitic that the district was almost completely obliterated, it was almost intact in the yard with his erratic and numerous fossils, evidence of a distant past and underwater. And then there are many traces of a man running from attending the High Middle Ages, with the signs of battle, the post holes, the cuts by hand to extract data blocks and blocks of tuff.
These are characteristics for which a true principle of protection and inclusion "in the process of maintenance that should characterize the policy needed to renovate and restore the historic center" (Brain, 2000). Not of that opinion must have been the architect Fani, when, in drawing up his plan, determined that the rock was completely open space, pace of early Middle Ages, cart, post holes, brains and the rest.
But if you move the improvident architect and enthusiastic administrators Grottaglie was not a conservation principle, at least would have had to brake a principle of prudence. Because if none of the prelates who, as lords of Grottaglie took turns in the management of this property onusta history, the endless series of upgrades, accretions, embellishments succeeded over the centuries, has ever thought of damaging the stone, so uncomfortable disconnected and there is a reason. As we recalled the name "Grottaglie, there are many caves that open on the ravine; some of them converted into shops, pottery, venture right below the castle, which would be publicized by appropriate signs, being a source of pride and a tourist attraction. The basis upon which the property to be restored is thus a kind of Swiss cheese riddled which, moreover, is not fully understood the magnitude of the pricked. To natural and semi-hollow, it must be added the cisterns to collect rainwater, the number and size of which is still unknown but it is not all been explored and described.
In a survey conducted by the Caving Club Cryptae Alia and merged into a useful mimeographed publication (Sannicola, Marangelli, De Marco, 2004), we assume the existence of a large cistern located in the center of the courtyard, at an excavation square probably was intended as a support to the real shaft. And what does the bold architect Fani? Challenge fate and decides to remove the rind gruyere. But you know what that surface is thick?
And if not inspired by a principle of prudence, our administrators - but here the architect's fault Fani not any - they should at least be constrained by a principle of economy.
E 'well-known as the castle is owned by the Curia of Taranto, on which the Common (ovverossia the community) pays a reasonable rent. There will be a discount on money owed? An extension of the rent of the castle (the contract is almost due)? None of this means the rent remains the same at the time of renewal and will not speak.
Transeat. So that at least we take care of emergencies: the medieval tower, long unusable because of its instability (it is waiting for collapse?), Or the floor, whose murals are in a state of agony because of rising spots moisture, which would be enough for an ordinary flat roof with tarpaulin. None of this, of course.
It was decided instead to act on the lower floor, completing the restoration of the rooms to use as a museum to break the bank and coffee shop and lobby, to make it easier the transit of visitors.
Based on what I said earlier, any comment is superfluous. But there are some questions that is not rhetorical turn the pages of this newspaper to so-called "competent authorities" who authorized the operation? The Superintendent? And if so, what zealous officials gave the green light to such an intervention that has not even the Conservative shadow, but instead has all the trappings of a brutally destructive act? And the Curia, was informed? And what do you think the Office of Culture of the Diocese? Grottaglie saying goes: it is permissible to ask, answer and courtesy. In this case there seems to be a duty. We await the answers.
Movement Pro Historical Center
