Melfi

Melfi is the Federician city par excellence, in the far north of Basilicata, in the province of Potenza and the heart of the Vulture. Emperor Frederick II of Swabia chose the Norman castle as his summer residence and in the Vulture woods he used to practice falconry, his favorite hobby. The Frederick city has a unique walled enclosure in southern Italy, surrounded by ancient Norman walls with watchtowers and dominated by a unique castle to the extent that it retains its typical Norman appearance intact. Inside the castle there is the “Massimo Pallottino National Archaeological Museum of Vulture Melfese Melfese”, which also preserves numerous remains from the Roman era due to the passage in this territory of the Via Appia Antica from Rome to Brindisi. Symbols of the religiosity of the city of Melfi are Santa Margherita and Santa Lucia (XIII century), two extraordinary examples of rupestrian churches carved into the tuff.

In addition to the famous Aglianico del Vulture wine, the city is renowned for the “Marroncino di Melfi”, a delicious big chestnut with a rounded shape, with a glossy brown color ideal for roasted chestnuts, but very popular even when eaten rough.

One cannot fail to mention that in the locality of Monticchio Bagni, in Melfi, the mineral waters are bottled, and the nearby town of Rapolla with its thermal baths. In the woods of the Vulture Regional Nature Park, you can go hiking, biking, and, in winter, snowshoeing.