Castel del Monte, magic octagonal building, is the most beautiful and fascinating of all the castles in Puglia, it’s the treasure chest of all the secrets of humanity.

Built by Frederick II of Swabia, it certainly was not a military defensive fortress. Perhaps it was intended as a hunting lodge or as a place for people fault in love of mathematics and astronomy. The architecture seems to follow the progress of the sun in the zodiac signs and the number 8 is recurrent: the octagonal towers, the courtyard, the rooms. The mystery that surrounds it is all the greater because of the scarcity of documents that could clarify the reasons for its construction.

If you have time you can visit Barletta with his Colossus, its cathedral and castle that exhibit the works of the famous Impressionist painter De Nittis; Molfetta, a small town with an ancient maritime tradition, with its cathedral facing the sea; Bisceglie with its cathedral and castle; Bitonto with its museums, palaces and churches, including its splendid Romanesque cathedral; Giovinazzo with its walls surrounding the sea and its old medieval streets; Altamura, noble and proud in the rugged landscape, known for its excellent traditional bread; Minervino Murge, “the balcony of Apulia”; Ruvo with its cathedral and Gravina di Puglia overlooking the ravine cutting through the Murge to the sea.