The Norman Castle is the symbol of Melfi and is considered among the most important medieval castles in Italy. Its origin dates back to the 11th century by the Normans, wanted by Robert Guiscard, and it stands on top of the Vulture city. Its positioning was crucial to defend against outside attacks and as a refuge for allies. With the coming of the Swabians, Frederick II expanded it and it was in Melfi that he decided to spend the summer.
With the fall of the Swabians and the arrival of the new Angevin rulers, the castle underwent extensions and restoration.
Looking at the castle, what stands out are the ten towers, seven rectangular and three pentagonal. The castle has four entrances, only one of which is still usable today. The first was connected to the countryside, the second opens into the esplanade, the third was the main entrance in the Angevin era and allowed access to the moat and the city, while with the fourth, opened by the Dorias, one enters the village through a bridge, which was once a drawbridge. Beyond the gateway, one enters the beautiful main courtyard, overlooked by the baronial palace and the aristocratic chapel.
The ground floor of the castle houses the National Archaeological Museum of the Melfese, which houses the important archaeological documentation found in the area’s district and features fine Daunian ceramics with geometric decoration that make up funerary furnishings from the 7th-3rd centuries B.C. with bronze armor, silver, gold and amber ornaments and bronze vases of Greek and Etruscan production. While in the Clock Tower one can appreciate the splendid Roman Sarcophagus, found in 1856, also known as the “Sarcophagus of Rapolla,” because it was once kept in the square of the Vulture town.