It is the medieval castle in which Frederick II of Swabia, loved to take refuge to indulge in the art of hunting, one of his passions, and was the ideal home of Frederick II’s son Manfred.
Its current state, restored in the 1990s, reflects changes made to the Norman-Swabian design by Charles I of Anjou, who used the castle primarily as a luxury prison, locking up Elena Angelo Comneno of Epirus, Manfred’s wife, and her children until her death.
Dominating the village, the castle can be admired in its massive rectangular block articulated on two floors and characterized by two courtyards, one major and one minor, and a tower distinguished by ashlar masonry at the top, typical of Swabian architecture.
The major courtyard, dating from the expansion begun by Frederick II in 1242 on the remains of earlier Norman-Swabian (for military purposes) and Angevin (for residential purposes) buildings, includes a vast cistern and a large chapel.
Precisely the latter is a peculiarity that distinguishes this castle from all others attributed to the Swabian emperor. In fact, the presence within it of this place of worship is the only example among all those dating from that imperial era. The church, in an austere Romanesque style that restoration work in the last years of the 20th century brought to light in its original appearance, has a semi-circular apse and an entrance decorated with the sawtooth motif typical of the Angevin age.