Promoting knowledge and interpretation of fortified architecture: the case of the digital reconstruction of the central courtyard of Trani Swabian Castle

The article presents a replicable and scalable methodological framework and operational workflow designed to support the knowledge and interpretation of an outstanding example of fortified architecture: the Swabian castle of Trani. The availability of visual documents and bibliographical material, as well as the state of conservation and traces of the original structures of the selected case study, made it possible to carry out an in-depth research aimed at implementing the knowledge and facilitating the interpretation of this representative example of Frederick’s architecture. The research focuses specifically on the digital reconstruction of the castle’s central courtyard as it would have appeared during the Swabian-Angevin period (13th century). In this process, comparisons with similar architectures and possible sources of inspiration, as well as archival and historical research, are carried out with a solid methodological approach. The research deepens the practical and symbolic role of the metric and geometric, compositional and aesthetic aspects to disclose the tangible and intangible values of the Castle’s architectural lexicon. These analyses make it possible to clearly identify the main transformations of the central courtyard of the castle from the 13th century to its readaptation as a military fortress in the 16th century – including its further transformation as a prison in the 19th century – until the last restoration works aimed at reusing the castle as a museum in the 1980s and 1990s. In this process, reconstructive digital modelling has played a pivotal role, making it possible to visualize what no longer exists, and thus to implement the knowledge and interpretation of this architectural complex.