Built in Norman times, it is located on a peak (Monte Serico 550 m.s.l.m.) about 15 km from Genzano di Lucania. The castle dominates a vast valley which was an important hinge between the territories of the Bradano dominated by the Byzantines and the northern territories of Basilicata dominated by the Lombards and Normans. Conceived by the Normans as a defensive system, it was the scene of battle between Normans and Byzantines in which the latter were defeated. In the Middle Ages it was also a refuge for the Basilian monks.
The building, a classic example of medieval architecture, experienced its maximum splendor thanks to the Swabians who renovated and embellished it because Frederick II loved to stay in this place thanks to the presence of birds of prey that he adored so much. Around the year one thousand the castle was designated as "Magister Massarium Apulia", a sort of "Agricultural Domus, belonging to the Royal Estate of Frederick II, for horse breeding and agricultural production.
From the architectural point of view, the castle follows the canons of the Middle Ages with a volume in the shape of a truncated cone, surrounded by a moat. The …