Castel del Monte

Wool made Castel del Monte prosperous: for centuries its shepherds drove their flocks south to Apulia, and the Medici, lords from 1579, left churches and the 'wall houses' that form its defences. The compact village climbs Monte Bolza above 1,300 metres, facing Rocca Calascio, near the high plain of Campo Imperatore. Each mid-August the Notte delle Streghe turns its lanes into a stage for a dialect folk drama.

Highlights

• La Notte delle Streghe, a late-night folk drama staged across the old village
• Chiesa Matrice di San Marco (1657), whose tower dominates the village
• The Ricetto, the oldest fortified quarter of the village
• Canestrato cheese, recognised by Slow Food
• Main setting of the 2010 film The American, starring George Clooney

Summary based on Wikipedia (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.