Fortezza delle Verrucole Mystery Cache

The architectural history of the fortress dates back to the widespread emergence of castles in Garafagnana between the 11th and 12thcenturies. According to an imperial certificate of Federico I, in 1185 the site was the property of the Gherardinghi dynasty, holders of many lands in Garafagnana since the 10th Century. The Gherardinghi family began the construction of an elevated fortress to defend against attacks by the city of Lucca, which was their sworn enemy according to an alliance formed with Pisa in the 12th century. At this time, the fortified site must have already been divided into two separate peaks linked by a fold or cleft (a feature that still characterizes the layout of the fortress): on one peak stood the fortress proper, dedicated to the site's military functions; the other peak was dedicated to a domus communis, which was intended for administrative activities.

The Gherardinghi family enjoyed a long reign, although during the second half ofthe 13th century many of its lands were confiscated by the Luccan army, which was then engaged in the reacquisition of the countryside. In 1272, however, the Gherardinghi family continued to maintain their dominance of theGarafagnana region, as shown by an edict signed by all the municipalities of the Verrucole curia which contained an item dedicated to the maintenance and protection of the fortress and forbade anyone from degrading or damaging its walls. The Gherardinghi family lost their control over the Garafagnana region at the end of the 13th century, when the Verrucole fortress fell into the hands of Lucca which entrusted its management to the Guidiccioni family in 1296. Between 1328 and 1345 the fort belonged to the property of the Ghibelline leader Spinetta Malaspina. There is little information available about the fate of the building during the period stretching from the second half of the 14th century and the first half of the 15th century. During this time, the building probably entered into a phase of relative disuse until the arrival of the Este dynasty. In the 15th century, the Este family of Ferrara set its expansionistic sights on the Garafagnana region. Part of this region came under its rule in 1429 thanks to a deliberate surrender on the part of the local comminutes. Verrucole also pledged itself to Ferrara in 1446. The Este family undertook an extensive program of reclamation and restoration of the medieval fortified towns, transforming these renovated sites into a strategic network for military control.

It was Leonello d'Este who took control of the Verrucole fortress and firstunderook its restoration, which was then continued by his successors Borso d'Este and Ercole I. During this first period of Este control, the fortress was transformed into a kind of "citadel" consisting of two strongholds, one square and one circular, which were governed by two separate captains. A polygonalen closure (now known as the "Captain's garden according to a name it was given in the 18th century) was added to the medieval castle screens behind the circular stronghold, and a semi-circular tower was raised there for use as a powder magazine. Between 1489 and 1500, other restorations—including the strengthening and elevation of walls—were carried out under the supervision Niccolò Pendaglia with the assistance of Lombard workers. These restorations must have had a positive effect, as evidenced by the fortress's ability to resist an attack by papal troops in 1512. In that year Francesco della Rovere, the nephew of Pope Julius II, conquered Modena and occupied the Garafagnana, but his troops failed against the fortresses of Castelnuovo, Vallico, Trassilico, and Verrucole, allof which remained under the dominion of Lucca until the return of the Este family in 1513. As a result of this successfully resistance, Verrucole earned a reputation as an "impregnable" fortress—a reputation that was bolstered evenfurther in 1521 when Verrucole held off another papal attack, this time perpetrated by the Florentine army in the name of Pope Leo X.

Between1522 and 1525, Alfonso I d'Este named the poet Ludovico Ariosto the commissioner of Garafagnana. The poet's tenure, however, was brief and markedby periods of continual unrest due to the widespread activity of bandits.Records of the correspondence between Duke Alfonso and Ariosto do not containany descriptions of the Verrucole, although there are a few references to the work of its restructuring and consolidation. During the second half of the 16th century, Alfonso II decided to modernize the fortress at Garafagnana and sent the architect Marc'Antonio Pasi who erected the circular stronghold, designed the bastions for the southwestern and northeastern ends of the fort, demolished the rectangular stronghold, and added other structures to walls which were necessary for the garrison's equipment. The 17th century witnesses a drastic reduction in the availability historical and architectural documentation about the fortress, most likely due to the absence of significant restoration and renewal projects which would resume during the principality of Francesco III d'Este in the second half of the next century.

In 1774, the engineer Giovanni Costa was put in charge of drawing up a detailed report of the fortress in preparation for its restoration, but the affirmation of the French government led to a halt in the restoration of the structures. In1808 the fortress, which was now disarmed and in a poor state of preservation, was put up for auction but remained unsold. The government of Lucca, under the direction of Elisa Baciocchi, decided to make all the interior and exterior terrain available for rent by private entities. The Este government was restored in 1814 and the engineer Domenico Ferrari was sent to visit the fortress and evaluate its state of conservation. The serious structural problems of the building, which threatened to crumble onto the underlying municipality of San Romano, called for an immediate effort of consolidation. Once the building was structurally secured, it was abandoned and remained uninhabited until 1866 when it became the possession of the Italian state which once again made the property available for rent.

In 1986, the City of San Romano in Garfagnana decided to buy the property for 15million lire and to take charge of its restoration. The process of rebuilding and restoring the integrity of the building – begun in 1992 and ended in July of 2012 according to the plan of Gianclaudio Papasogli Tacca – now offers several opportunities for reflection on the methodological choices made during the restoration efforts as well as on the types of reuse and enhancement envisioned for the future of the structure.