On 1 July 2020, in the Piazza d'Armi of the Aragonese Castle of Taranto, in the presence of the south maritime commander, the division admiral Salvatore Vitiello, the curator of the castle for the Navy, admiral Francesco Ricci, the architect dott. Carmelo Di Fonzo intervened on behalf of the Superintendent of archeology, fine arts and landscape of the province of Brindisi, Lecce and Taranto as well as contact person for Taranto and Prof. Rosy Sallustio, spouse of Admiral Ricci in the role of godmother, the ceremony of inauguration of the Keep of the castle.
After about two years of demanding and delicate restoration works, which have become even more complex in the last period due to the COVID-19 emergency, and carried out entirely by the military and civilian personnel of the southern maritime command, the splendor of the Maschio emerged after the careful removal of the plaster that had hidden it for centuries and bringing to light unknown doors and windows with characteristic diamond-tipped rosette decorations probably dating back to the Swabian Angevin or Norman period of the XII-XIII century .
"It is a sign of great hope that I hope is a good omen and will lead us to a normal life as soon as possible; the visits today resume after the closing period imposed by the health emergency, complying with the sanitary hygiene measures, with small groups and equipped with masks We wanted to reopen the visits on the day of the inauguration of the Maschio at the end of about two years of restoration work carried out entirely by Navy personnel who return to all visitors this important part of the manor in its original splendor ".. These are the words of Admiral Vitiello to the press.
Thanks to the intense work to enhance the castle, carried out without interruption in the last 17 years, the maintenance and restoration work has exceeded 75% of the entire surface of the castle.
"Seeing this important part, returning to its former glory fills me with satisfaction" Admiral Ricci told reporters who spoke. Dr. Di Fonzo, on the other hand, underlined the intense collaboration between the Superintendence and the Navy in the care of the Aragonese Castle that makes these important and flattering results possible. At the end of the interviews released to the press, a sober ceremony took place with the symbolic cutting of a tricolor ribbon by the godmother, and the drafting of a tricolor curtain on the façade of the Maschio.
