Excavations at Cucagna castle, undertaken in 2001-2002 by Paola Lopreato of the Soprintendenza, are at present being continued by the Humboldt-Universität. The castle was built in the 11th century and was closely linked to the castle of Zucco, built by the same family in 1248 on the slopes of the same hill, with the aim of protecting the earlier castle to which it was connected by a wall. Cucagna castle comprises a tower flanked by the remains of a first residential building to which were added a second residence, a church, a cistern, a containing wall for the upper courtyard and a third, so-called “lower” residence.
Inside the castle, two trenches placed at the foot of the entrance to the tower brought to light the remains of a wall on a SE-NW alignment which sprang from the tower’s foundations together with three square pilasters. These elements probably supported wooden structures used as a portico and as a support for a stairway up to the tower. The lowest occupation level contained many finds including pottery (archaic majolica, graffito ware, coarse ware etc.) dating to the 14th an 15th centuries. Two other trenches dug in the east room of the phase two residence revealed a collapse, an earlier destruction layer characterised by bricks and opus signinum from the remains of a pavement and an occupation level which the pottery (archaic majolica, invetriata lionata, slipped ware etc.) dates to between the 14th and 15th centuries.
The removal of vegetation and surface cleaning in the wood led to the identification of the remains of a square building (sides 6.40m). Numerous surface finds dating to the 14th and 15th centuries were recovered. Also within the wood the connecting wall between the two castles was cleaned for a length of c.27m. It had an average width of 1.10m and only one course, without mortar, survives. (Isabel Ahumada Silva)