Castel (Not Castle) Del Monte (29th July)

Castel Del Monte

Castel Del Monte sits on one of the highest hills on the Apulian Plain, and it stood out like a beacon for us as we travelled through the Alta Murgia National Park, plus plenty of signage, we couldn't miss visiting it as we headed back to Montemiletto.

The Grand Entrance

We headed off from the farm toward the medieval monument, which was only ten minutes away. as we drove up a lovely tree lined avenue we came across a huge parking area all set up for buses / cars & motorhomes. There was a ticket/souvenir shop & cafe. This was the second car park we had come across that caters for Camper Vans to stay over night in a high tourist area. The other one was back in Alberobello. For 7 Euro we could park up for 24 hours, with electricity provided, rubbish removal, toilets. Even though we would not be staying, it was still great to plug into the power to help our poor wee fridge cope with another days heat rather than use up all our gas.

Part of the Courtyard

From the car park everyone had to catch a shuttle bus for 1 Euro return to the castel. I guess this was to reduce traffic to the castel, plus the tour buses would have struggled to get up the tree lined narrow road.  With the shuttle running every ten minutes, we got up there just before ten. Good to be ahead of the crowds which did start to come up later from big tourist buses.

Listening to the audio guide

Castel Del Monte was built for Frederick II around the mid 12th century, who was King of Sicily and the Roman-German Emperor - what a title! Guess you would have the power and finances to build this  fortress which is an octagonal prism with an octagonal tower at each corner. In the centre is an octagonal courtyard where the towers can look across to each other as well out to the plains and the distant sea.

Very little marble remains

There were 8 bedrooms, some of which had their own bathrooms (ensuites??) in the towers. The castle isn't huge but with the high vaulted ceilings you got the impression of grandeur. The castle had got into disrepair in the 18th century and most of the marble lining the walls and pillars were looted. The Italian State bought it in 1876 but never started the restoration till 1928.

The Ensuite

Bill & I paid the extra to have an English Audio Guide which made the whole visit far more informative as we had some Italians asking us to explain some of the features. These were of course English speaking Italians :)