- Type
- Fortress
- Origins
- 1240 · 13th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Style
- Gothic architecture
- Heritage
- UNESCO World Heritage List
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 41.0848°, 16.2709°
History
The castle was built in the 1240s on the orders of Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, a ruler with wide-ranging scientific interests. It is laid out as a perfect octagon with an octagonal tower at each corner, and the lack of a moat, drawbridge or storerooms keeps scholars arguing about what it was for. After the fall of the Hohenstaufen it served as a prison and a refuge from plague, and over the centuries it was stripped of its marble facing and decoration. In the late 19th century the Italian state acquired it and began restoration. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.
What to see
Visitors walk through a ring of identical trapezoid rooms on two floors arranged around an eight-sided courtyard. Fragments of stone columns, rib vaults and a Gothic portal with classical touches survive. The hilltop looks out over the plains and olive groves of Apulia.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q215897
Popularity: articles about this site in 58 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).