Genoese builders in medieval Moldavia?

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It seems that there were not many Genoese living permanently in Moldavia with the exception of Bilhorod - between the 13th and 15th centuries. This situation changed after 1475 when a group of refugees from the Crimea came there. Among this group were young men from Caffa, which called at one of the Moldavian ports. Their presence in Suceava at the end of 15th century was the most probable source of a legend recorded in Moldavian chronicles from the 17th century. According to the legend the Genoese (Ianovezi) were responsible for the foundation of such towns as Suceava, Khotyn, Bilhorod, Kiliya, Neamţ and Roman as well as for the construction of the castles located in these places. It seems that the original idea was borrowed from Marcin Bielski’s chronicle, which was considerably older than Moldavian chronicles. Bielski attributed the foundation of Bilhorod, Kiliya and other Moldavian towns to the Genoese. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries suggestions concerning Genoese origins of some of the Moldavian castles were supported by two Polish historians - Tadeusz Korzon and Marceli Nałęcz Dobrowolski. Later on similar claims were put forward by Italian historians of architecture - Leone Andrea Maggiorotti and Paolo Stringa. Even though the localisation of the supposedly Genoese castles corresponds with the localisation of the so-called Moldavian route, which was used by the Geonese colonies as a strategic trade route, there are no reliable historical records which would mention any Genoese trade emporium in the Moldavian hinterland. What is more, there are no instances of any defensive structures built by the Genoese along frequented routes in the regions which, unlike Crimean Gazaria, were not under their direct rule. Most heatedly discussed was the topic of Genoese involvement in the construction of the enormous fortress located in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi. If one decides not to assume that citadel of that castle is of Genoese origins, it is virtually impossible to find any similarities between the supposedly Genoese fortresses in Moldavia and the authentic Genoese structures located in the Black Sea region. It should also be mentioned that some of these structures (Bender, Soroca) were erected as late as in the second quarter of the 16th century.