Utente:Maria Lucia In. Pagano/Sandbox

In the southern Italian region of Basilicata, in the area of “Vulture Melfese” (a portion of territory located at the foot of ) we can find the city of Melfi, the fourth biggest and most populated place here.

This Lucan city has a great historical background: after the fall of the Roman Empire, Melfi was invaded by different populations, but the importance of this city begun whit the arrival of the Normans, and this “status” continued and grown with the Hohenstaufen Swabian dynasty. Emperor Frederick II chose Melfi as his summer residence, were he used to practise falconry. In XIII century, the Swabian Castle here in Melfi became the place where the Emperor published the Constitutions of Melfi, a fundamental document in the history of law.

Nowadays, as in the past, the core of the city is this ancient Castle, one of the most important medieval castles in Italy. It was built in the Normans age, at the end of the XI century, in a strategical position between Apulia and Campania. In the castle of Melfi there are not just an architectural style, but different, because over time the building has undergone several restorations. Inside it there are a lot of hall, but the great one was the “Throne Room” which now houses the National Archaeological Museum of “Vulture Melfese”. This Castle is important even today because it represents the main centre of tourism in the city of Melfi: people come here to see with their own eyes a piece of their history, enjoying every moment of their trip with a lot of cultural activities.