Mole Vanvitelliana

Ancona's Mole Vanvitelliana is a pentagonal island in the harbour, designed by Luigi Vanvitelli as a lazaretto. Built between 1733 and 1743, it later served military and industrial purposes; the complex now also houses the State Tactile Museum Omero.

Why it matters

The Mole is an ambitious work of eighteenth-century architecture and engineering. Its first stone was laid in 1733, and construction was completed in 1743, three years after the death of Pope Clement XII, whose grant of free-port status helped stimulate the city's growth. The artificial island, almost twenty thousand square metres in extent, was designed for quarantine and the storage of goods.

The inner ring held quarantine quarters, while the outer belt contained twenty-six storerooms. Cisterns beneath the courtyard supplied water, and the central tempietto is dedicated to San Rocco. The pentagonal plan brought sanitary, commercial and defensive functions together in one structure.

What to notice

The wall-walk, sentry boxes and rivellino facing the mandracchio canal recall the Mole's defensive character. In the courtyard, the tempietto of San Rocco marks the centre of the cistern system. The former quarantine halls and storerooms now share the complex with the Museo Tattile Statale Omero, which moved here in 2012 and occupies four floors. Contemporary artworks, including works by Velasco Vitali and Mimmo Paladino, add another layer to the arcaded courtyard.

Context and history

The city's account preserves a tradition that Casanova was held in quarantine at the Mole. Its sanitary function ended in 1860; in 1884 the island became a sugar refinery. During the twentieth century it served military and industrial uses, including a military hospital, barracks and, from 1947, a state tobacco factory.

Restoration began in 1989, when the Superintendence started removing later accretions to recover the building's original form. Municipal works followed from 1993, adapting the complex for cultural use. The Mole's successive roles—from quarantine station to factory and cultural venue—reflect the changing life of Ancona's port.