Group: 41E

Team: Ninulescu Teodor-Nicolae

Dumitrasc Ioana

Argatu Georgiana

Castello dei Doria a Dolceacqua

Case study nr. 3

Castello dei Doria a Dolceacqua

Located on Villa
Castello, 18035,
Dolceacqua, the
castle was built in
1117. It used to
be a ruin before
its latest
intervention
proposed by
LD+SR arhitetti
and finalised in
2015.

 There is very little information on the

history of Castello dei Doria, and what
remains clear is: this magnificent castle
perched on the hill of St. Matthew in
the province of Sassari, Sardinia is a
stunning piece of medieval history, and
a must-see for every traveler to the
area. Admission free, with panoramic
views all around.

The castle was named after Eleanora

of Arborea‘s mother-in-law Giacomina
Doria. Eleanora of Arborea is a
renowned heroin to many of the
islands’ residents. From 1383 to her
death, she was one of the most powerful judges in Sardinian history.

Photo of the castle in 1900

It’s an impressive building dating

back to the 12th century when
the Doria family (originally from
Liguria) had it built as part of
their defensive line in the
historical region of Anglona,
Sardinia.

There are a number of castles

and towers all over Sardinia
which were built in medieval
times to protect against attacks
and thieves; like the ruler of
Arborea, Mariano IV, who longed
to own the castle, as well as King Peter IV of Aragon who in turn, hoped to gain
possession of the castle thanks to a marriage in which he had close relations.

In 1448 the castle was transformed into a church – The Parish Church of St. Matthew –
San Matteo, Chiaramonti.

A relationship was so charming by bringing Claude Monet repeatedly to visit Dolceacqua

and capture bridge and Castle in a famous painting by 1884 housed in the Musée
Marmottan Monet in Paris.

Today it dominates the valley below with spectacular views from north to south.

Castello dei Doria is rich in legends, story and war. Left for the spirits to tell the tales for a
hundred years and more.

The main characteristic of the castle is that it is the dominant point of the area, being
seen from kilometers away, overseeing the valley below. It is a medieval fortress-like
castle, which, out of early 20th Century photos we can draw the conclusion that it had its
main facade facing the valley, oriented towards West. Facing the valley it has a set of
colletive housing which were later built, that are better highlighting the greatness if the
castle.

The main facade of the building is stone textured, having two towers towards the
extremities. Towards the center it has openings on 3 levels, while the towers have
openings on 5 levels. It used to be a symmetric building before it was partially ruined.

The North and South facades are continuing the defensive line that the main facade
delivers.

Along its history, the castle was restored, so that it kept its longevity, but in the 20th
century, it suffered a lot of changes, being damaged by the bombings in the Second World
War and a fire. The latest interventions before the one which I am going to analyze only
damaged the building, so that its volumetry could not be properly seen anymore, making it
much of a ruin. The once great Castello dei Doria, which was frequently visited by a lot of
tourists became just a ruin just like many medieval or antique Italian constructions. It
needed a restoration which would bring its greatness yet again.

After widespread interventions of

restoration undertaken since the early 90
's, 2012-2015 covered the restoration and
consolidation of certain portions of the
main external walls of the Castle (sailing
North, Savoy bastion minor), the recovery
of the main open spaces that surround it in
diffuse form the complex, the
establishment of a system of trails that
leads the visitor to discover different points
of perception of landscapes that surround
the monument.

The Castle situated in a dominant position overlooking the village below is in extreme point
advantage to control the Valley of the river of the Nervia Valley. The project seeks to
enhance the strategic position, making travel to the visitor the different stages of
completion of the building discover some enclosed spaces created in the few portions of
the building survived the various bombings and ensuing fires over time, but especially a
guided path towards the various land control points.
 The restoration and strengthening of masonry
degraded extensively featured in significant
form the surgery completed in 2015. Any need
for structural reinforcement or static
improvement though it was turned into an
architectural project, also of iron parts that,
depending on the requirement, have become
paths, passages, elements of reconstruction
of portions of walls partly missing or being
complete detachment. Items always perceived
as new parts, reversible and always side by
side with existing fit evident.

The main visible modification is the creation of paths which offer different perspectives of
the ensamble, in order to be a well defined tourist attraction. As it used to be before the
restoration, it made the passengers feel disoriented and lost in that ruin, shile nowadays,
thanks to the iron path it is easier for tourists to become part of the ensamble and better
understand it.
Another big intervention, the opulent masonry textured facade gives a great flair of
strength and enhances the effect of age, while the completion of the detiorated walls is
enhancing the perspective game interlocking with iron path, making it a guided labyrinth.
In my opinion, as much as I find the restoration a very good one, giving the construction
and the area life again, it is somehow damaging the character of the building and its
authenticity, as it is transforming it into a path and a walking line for the tourists, focusing
less keeping the buildings’s original function.

However, in the given scenario, where it was a ruin and the volumetry of the actual
building could not be perceived, I find it as maybe the best possible solution for revitalizing
the site and giving it once again greatness.

The texture of the facade has changed from stone to masonry, changing the identity of
the building, but in this case I find the change being for the better.

Bibliography:

1. https://mysardinianlife.com/sardinia/monuments/medieval-sardinia-castello-dei-doria-
chiaramonti-sassari/

2. https://www.archdaily.com/934655/restoration-of-castello-dei-doria-a-dolceacqua-ld-
plus-sr-architetti?ad_source=search&ad_medium=search_result_all