Travel Guide to Castel del Monte, Italy

Scenic spot introduction:

Castel del Monte is an octagonal castle built by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II between 1229 and 1249. The castle is located in the province of Andria in the Puglia region in southeastern Italy. Its image was once used on the one-cent euro coin minted in Italy.

Attractions distribution:

Castel del Monte is located on a hill 530 meters high. It was originally a Benedictine monastery. Later, because the hill is located between the Castello di Melfi and the Royal Palace of Foggia, Frederick used it as a hunting residence when he traveled between the two places to deal with political and administrative affairs. In 1249, Frederick's illegitimate daughter Violante was married here. Later, the castle was used as a prison. In 1265, due to the decline of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, Frederick's grandsons, Enrico, Federico and Azzolino, became the first prisoners here. In 1665, Andria's nobles took refuge in the castle to avoid the plague. In the 17th century, the castle was abandoned, some of its marbles and sculptures were robbed, and shepherds and bandits also used it as a home. In 1876, the castle became state property and has been gradually restored since then.
The architectural style of Castel del Monte belongs to the early Gothic architecture of southern Italy, with the number 8 everywhere. First of all, it is an octagonal building with each side measuring 16.5 meters long; there are 8 octagonal towers 25 meters high on the 8 corners, and the spiral staircases in the towers lead to the upper rooms or bathrooms and storage rooms; there are 8 identical trapezoidal rooms on each of the upper and lower floors of the castle.

Scenic spot qualifications:

World Heritage

Scenic spot features:

architecture, cultural tours, castles, buildings