Mysterious Castle del Monte Tour

If you love mystery and esotericism, this is the place that you can not miss: we will take you on a guided tour of the most enigmatic and magic place of south Italy, the monument which has been called “the stone crown of Apulia” for its strategic position. Castel del Monte lies 540 meters on the sea level and is situated within a stunning landscape, set between the Murge reliefs and the Adriatic sea. The construction of the castle began in 1240 under Frederick II, but he never managed to stay there. The aim of the castle was to defend the land from the attacks of pirates and enemies but, when the dynasty of Frederick II lost power, the D'Angio' family started to use it as a prison. After that period nobody took care of it and it began to be the refuge for bandits, refugees and shepherds who damaged it and stole part of its decorations. In 1876 the Italian State bought the castle and decided to restore it. In 1996 UNESCO declared it for its characteristics a "World Heritage Site". This magic and enigmatic building was built during the reign of Frederick II in a unique shape: the castle has an octagonal perimeter, 8 octagonal towers and an octagonal inner garden. It is the most mysterious of all Frederick’s castles and scientists have not found out yet the real meaning of the number eight in the elements of this building: most probably this was a symbol for alchemy and this witnesses the interest of the emperor for mathematics and esotericism.