The last castle of Frederick II, with falconry shows
On a hill at about 800 metres, in the municipality of Avigliano, between Potenza and the Vulture, stands the Castle of Lagopesole, one of the largest and best preserved castles of the Swabian period in southern Italy, and the last castle built by Emperor Frederick II, who had it erected between about 1242 and 1250, the year of his death, probably as a hunting residence and summer palace in the heart of the woods of Basilicata, which he loved for falconry, his great passion. The castle has a rectangular plan with corner towers, and inside it is divided into two courtyards: the larger one, surrounded by the residential rooms, and the smaller one, dominated by the massive square keep, on whose walls two carved heads, according to tradition, depict Frederick Barbarossa and his wife Beatrice, the emperor's grandparents.
The castle is also linked to the memory of Manfred, son of Frederick II, who lived here, and of his wife Helena of Epirus, whose ghost, according to legend, still wanders through the rooms on stormy nights. Today the castle houses a multimedia museum dedicated to Frederick II and the Swabian world, with installations that tell the story of the emperor, his court, his laws and his passion for hunting. In summer, the castle hosts historical re-enactments and falconry shows, which recall the emperor's famous treatise "De arte venandi cum avibus", the art of hunting with birds. From the walls, the view sweeps over the woods and hills of Lucania.
Tip: come in summer for the falconry shows; visit the multimedia museum to discover the world of Frederick II.
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