Castello De Falconibus

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1. THE SITE AND the feudal lords. The Pulsano Castle rises Mt 40,40 the level of the Sea. documented sources dating back to 1838 claim that the first feudal lord, Falco de Falconibus, owned the Casale di Pulsano, who was then opened, and no castle, but with only one tower, Torre said maximum. His successor, Marino, built the Castle and the Wall in 1430, as shown by an inscription, now disappeared, but shown in a tirade published in 1838 and dates back to 1550. The Land of Pulsano, then was enclosed by walls of when the Castle was the fortress in the Northeast; probably the walls were rectangular in shape, with towers at the four sides, one of which could be wedged between the houses of Via Molini Vecchi, in fact the battlements are still visible. The castle was preserved by surronding who kept it until 1560, it was sold or inherited by several families, came later, in 1617 to Muscettola, lords of Leporano, who obtained the title of Prince in 1624, the last heirs sold it Muscettola to the City of Pulsano in I912.

pulsano_castello2. STRUCTURE. Pulsano The castle, built almost entirely in local carparo, it is rectangular, complete with square and round towers, unequal in height form. The building is entered from the west side, the front door leads into a hallway, and this at a courtyard that illuminates the interior rooms. The rooms are divided over three floors: the ground floor there are five spacious rooms with accessories; the first floor has eight rooms, accompanied by an atrium, hallways and storage rooms, the floor is accessed via a large scale; the top floor consists of the upper rooms of the towers and battlements which is reached from the terrace by a steep and narrow staircase, stopped today. The vaults of the halls are rectangular barrel, that of the square room is cruising, with edges and lunettes. It contains two reliefs: one reproduces the family coat of arms surronding (in the square room of the tallest tower); the other, at the center of the atrium on the first floor balustrade, belongs to Muscettola family. All the furnishings, the fireplaces and the frames have been removed, there are still traces of frescoes now indecipherable; is complete, however, the outer battlements, which, together with the towers, faithfully reproduces the feudal model of the house-fortress. The castle was also equipped with three guns, which were transported in Taranto, in the Napoleonic age, by order of Joachim Murat. There is no trace of the moat and the drawbridge, that surely there were, as evidenced by the documents, since it appears that in 1819 Prince John Muscettola said for the first time in the thick moat to some families in the district, because they They serve as a vegetable garden. This led to the current situation of the castle which no longer isolated. As time passed the castle has lost its importance and was used as a wheat warehouse, storage of barrels and barn, until 1912, when in fact it was purchased by the City of Pulsano, which has long been used as a Town Hall. Some partial restoration was carried out by several administrations, but the work ahead is still long and onerous.

3. HISTORY AND LEGEND Underground: The atrium is hiding a big well, which according to an ancient local legend, would link the Pulsano Castle with the Palace of Leporano and from there an underground road would lead directly to the sea.

The Battle of Otranto: In 1480 Giovanni Antonio surronding is one of two captains Tarantini who fights to Otranto against the Turks of Mohammed II. They are to follow him 400 soldiers gathered in Tarantino including 40 Pulsanesi. In that battle die Giovanni Antonio de Falconibus and many of his, including Pulsanesi: Angelo Fabrizio Scardino, John Caputo Tomai and Scipio, but mysteriously, on September 8, 1480 the remains were transferred in Pulsano, the day when we honor the martyrs Otranto.

The woman from the chest: Legend has it that in the days of the full moon at midnight, roams the stands of the round tower a woman half-length, dressed in white and with flying blond hair. It is said that in 1326 Renzo surronding die to defend Pulsano by an onslaught of pagan hordes that stretch of coast that still is called Terra Rossa, in memory of the bloody event. His only eighteen year old daughter, Catherine, was sold by her husband uncles who usurp the feud, imprisoning the young woman in the round tower and then behead. Her husband Umberto receives, in exchange for betrayal, a modest property Ugento.