Castel del Monte
Member of I Borghi più belli d'Italia
Wool made Castel del Monte prosperous: for centuries its shepherds drove their flocks south to Apulia, and the Medici, lords from 1579, left churches and the 'wall houses' that form its defences. The compact village climbs Monte Bolza above 1,300 metres, facing Rocca Calascio, near the high plain of Campo Imperatore. Each mid-August the Notte delle Streghe turns its lanes into a stage for a dialect folk drama.
Highlights
- La Notte delle Streghe, a late-night folk drama staged across the old village
- Chiesa Matrice di San Marco (1657), whose tower dominates the village
- The Ricetto, the oldest fortified quarter of the village
- Canestrato cheese, recognised by Slow Food
- Main setting of the 2010 film The American, starring George Clooney
Text adapted from Wikipedia (Castel del Monte (comune), Castel del Monte, Abruzzo). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Population: 431
Events through the year
- Rassegna degli oviniSheep show for breeders at Fonte Macina, near Campo Imperatore
- Feast of Saint Donatus
- La notte delle stregheNight walk round the village with shows; markets and tastings by day
- Procession of the Madonna dei PastoriDusk procession through the old lanes, once marking the flocks' departure
Dates follow the traditional patterns in our sources: check locally before you travel.
Adapted from Wikipedia (Castel del Monte (comune)). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Local food & wine
- Canestrato di Castel del MonteCheeseHard sheep's milk pecorino, Slow Food Presidium and often prize-winning
- LambLocal produceFrom the sheep farming that long sustained the town
Adapted from Wikipedia (Castel del Monte (comune), Castel del Monte, Abruzzo). Available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to sleep
4 places to stay within 3 km
- Hotels 2
- B&Bs and guest houses 2
Data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Nearby member villages
- Santo Stefano di Sessanio · 7 km
- Castelli · 14 km
- Navelli · 14 km
- Penne · 18 km
- Pietracamela · 23 km