Castel del Monte

With our shuttle bus, you can be at Castel del Monte, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, within an hour. It was built in the second half of the 12th century by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. At that time his reign extended over much of southern Italy, and he was also responsible for the Norman-Swabian Castle in Bari, the largest city in the region, as well as a number of hunting lodges throughout his domain. Perched on a remote hillside amidst endless rolling plains, Castel del Monte is considered a masterpiece of medieval architecture, taking its influences from both classical and Islamic building styles. Perfectly octagonal in shape, it is built around a courtyard and boasts a series of octagonal towers. Internally, it comprises two storeys containing eight rooms each, and although the rich furnishings and much of the decoration are long gone, the marble mouldings around the great entrance portal and the lack of fortifications suggest that the castle may have been more a private residence than a military one. With the end of the Sicilian Empire, the castle was abandoned and fell into ruin in the 16th century; over the centuries it has been used variously as a prison, a refuge from the plague and a meeting place for bandits. Today it stands empty and proud, a monument to the political and cultural flourishing that saw southern Italy become prominent in the Middle Ages.

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