Malatesta fortresses and castles

Itinerary 1 > Rimini CastleRiminiCastel Sismondopiazza Malatestatel. 0541 351611 (FondazioneCassa di Risparmio)fax 0541 28660www.fondcarim.itsegreteria@fondcarim.itAbove: Castel Sismondo,Rimini (1437-1446).Below: Malatesta medalshowing a view of CastelSismondo (c. 1450).12Rimini Castle is the undisputed masterpiece of Malatestamilitary architecture. Commissioned by Sigismondo in 1437, it wasfinished in 1446, according to the epigraphs with which it is adorned.Their solemn dictation and ancient epigraphic style inform the visitorthat the Ruler of Rimini wished to name his castle, which he as usualclaimed to have built a fundamentis, after himself: Castel Sismondo.The construction made use of considerable parts of pre-existingthirteenth-century Malatesta dwellings and also of the fortificationswhich Sigismondo’s predecessor (his brother Galeotto Roberto,known as The Blessed) had built. To Sigismondo, this castle wasmuch more than just his palace: it was intended to be the visualsymbol of his power, in keeping with a wholly traditional concept,and he had it built in the traditional style, more expressivelypicturesque than rationally harmonious, as can be seen from thevariable perspective of the towers, the solidity of the curtain wallssurmounted with merlons, the frequent use of pointed arches andstone or ceramic inserts, and the splendour of the gilding and of thepargetry coloured in red and green, the heraldic colours of theMalatestas, all of which were described by contemporary writers. Thetraditional picturesque style continued in the interior, in the tortuouspassageways, the irrational layout of certain rooms, and perhaps tooin the scarcity of large reception rooms.To get an idea of the castle’s original appearance today, one hasto refer to the medals cast by Matteo de’ Pasti to celebrate itsconstruction, and to a detail of the fresco by Piero della Francesca inthe Malatesta Temple (the Cathedral of Rimini), which shows thedesign exactly; or to a page of De Re Militari by Roberto Valturiodedicated to the description and praise of this construction and ofSigismondo. The inner nucleus of the castle was distinguished by fivetowers which surrounded a tall keep (the palatium);the broad moatwhich marked the outer circuit of the walls extended into the presentPiazza Malatesta as far as the rear of the nineteenth-century theatre.The castle’s immense size, mighty appearance and irregularshape, designed as a series of fortified enclosures surroundingcentral living quarters, make it striking even today. Someirregularities of design can be explained by the exploitation,necessary or convenient, of pre-existing structures: some, but notall. For example, the positioning of the towers may be attributed inpart to this rationale, but can be also partly seen as an attempt -early and so rather uncertain - to create a system of defences withshooting and observation points which were to stand side by sideand support one another; a necessity much felt since the