At night, the floodlit walls of the Castello di Melfi dominate views of the ancient town built on a strategic hilltop below an extinct volcano in Potenza province, Basilicata, Italy. The castle, once owned by the Houses of Anjou and Aragon, now houses an archaeological museum. It is one of southern Italy’s strongest medieval fortresses - proved by escaping almost unscathed by violent earthquakes in 1851 and 1930. It was built as a simple rectangle with square corner towers and further towers defending the main gate. It now boasts ten towers, seven rectangular and three pentagonal.
Melfi, Potenza province, Basilicata, Italy: at night, the floodlit walls of the restored 11th century Norman Castello di Melfi dominate views of this ancient town built on a strategic hilltop at the foot of Monte Vulture, an extinct volcano rising to 1,326 metres (4,350 feet). The castle, once owned by the House of Anjou and the Crown of Aragon, now houses the National Archaeological Museum of Melfi and is regarded as one of the most important medieval fortresses in southern Italy. The strength of its construction was proved when it was left almost unscathed by violent earthquakes that devastated other Melfi monuments in 1851 and 1930. The castle was built as a simple rectangle with square corner towers and with further towers defending the main gate. It now boasts ten towers, seven of them rectangular and three pentagonal. One of the main internal buildings was transformed from the 16th century into a baronial palace.
Size: 4256px × 2832px
Location: Castello di Melfi, Melfi, Potenza province, Basilicata, Italy
Photo credit: © Terence Kerr / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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