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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The house Castagnola, also known as Casa Castagnola, is a historic residence located in the Old Port district (Terra Vechja) in Bastia, Haute-Corse. Built in the late 16th or early 17th century, it was originally owned by the Castagnola family, native to Liguria. Its architecture reflects the style of the patrician houses of the time, with a typical portal with bosses surmounted by a broken triangular pediment. The house has been partially classified as a historic monument since 1993, especially for its vestibule, facades, and interior and exterior decorative elements.

The house is famous for its inscription "Col Tempo" (with time) engraved above the entrance of the street des Terrasses, a symbolic response to the rival family of Cardi, whose building, higher, faces it. This motto illustrates the tensions between these two influential families of Bastia. A bas-relief on the north facade represents Saint Roch, protector against epidemics, in memory of the plague of 1569 or 1570 that would have spared the city there. This detail highlights the protective role attributed to certain buildings during the health crises of the modern era.

Inside, the vestibule preserves 17th-century frescoes, once interpreted as a representation of the Battle of Lepante (1571), a hypothesis now reversed. The arches of the vestibule are decorated with geometric and agrest motifs, while two paintings in the glasses evoke historical and religious themes, such as the city of Loretto. These artistic elements bear witness to the refinement of the bastia elites and their cultural openness, especially towards neighbouring Italy, whose Liguria was close geographically and culturally.

The building, covered with lauze (traditional flat stones), embodies the urban history of Bastia, marked by family rivalries and major health episodes. Its classification in 1993 allowed to preserve unique architectural and decorative elements, offering an overview of the patriotic life in Corsica in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The house Castagnola thus remains a symbol of the bastia heritage, mixing Liguria influences, local history and emerging baroque art.

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