Andria and nature...

Castel del Monte, at 18 km from Andria, is the most important castle built by Frederick II in Apulia. In fact, is the only one included in the World Heritage list of Unesco. We read from "The Statum de reparatione castrorum" that 111 castles structures existed in Apulia and Basilicata distribuited in a not homogeneous way and not only related to military needs. That big number of castles shows how much the Emperor cared about Apulia, both from political and strategic reason and for its landscape. Therefore he built in Apulia so many castles, each of them for a different purpose. Most of them were merely fortresses, the so called castra: they were used in fact to defend the territory, some others were the so called palatia, beautiful palaces and domus solaciorum, that is to say residences where he liked applying himself to his favorite entertainments.

Here you can enjoy the flavors of Mediterranean cuisine and have the opportunity to take a horseback ride in the splendid landscape of the Murgia.