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Melfi
Melfi
is situated on a hill 530 metres above sea level on the northern face
of Mount Vulture, a dead volcano, rich in mountain springs and forests.
Melfi
Mount
Vulture is the heart of Basilicata, a land with a great historical
past, where, just as in Puglia, Rome and Byzantium fought for supremacy.
And the centre of Melfi is its castle, heart of the history of this
land, once the territory of Normans, Swabians and Angevins.
The castle rises on a high slope, just like a guard on the passes
of the Appenines and on the Vulture, overlooking the Adriatic Sea.
It has been witness to a past when these lands were in the power of
mighty lords who from here administered vast territories and ordained
laws.
The castle
The
first nucleus was built by Robert Guiscard, the Norman warrior
who expelled the Byzantines for good from Puglia and Basilicata. In
1043 the Norman Chieftains who had led the rapid campaign of conquest
met here in Melfi.
Even Pope Leo IX came here, threatening excommunication should
Sicily not be freed from the Muslims, and the capital moved from Melfi
to Palermo.
Naturally the castle was indispensable for the new conquerers to defend
themselves against their enemies but also to hold the city and the
nearby territories under their complete control.
In 1059 Pope Nicholas II called the first of Four Councils here
in Melfi, and in 1089 another Pope set off from Melfi with his
preachings in favour of the First Crusade. When the Swabians came
to power,
Frederick II decreed the Constitution of Melfi, the first organic
set of rules of those times.
When the Angevins took over, Melfi no longer remained the capital
city but became a feud - no more emperors or Popes would live here
but simply lords and small rulers, incapable of any grand deeds, and
at best good at some conspiracy.
Melfi and its castle became property of the Princes Doria in 1531.
The Governor appointed by the Dorias, who administered their feud
and collected the taxes, lived in Melfi.
The Castle is rather big and is surrounded by a big moat, high ramparts
and bastions with ten towers.
Norman bell-tower
The
tourist guides will certainly point out the most interesting monuments
of the town such as the Duomo/Cathedral with its Norman bell-tower,
the church and Convent of Saint Anthony of Padua, and a little
bit further out of town, the two hillside churches of Saint Margareth
and of Our Lady of Spinelle.
We can simply add that it's very pleasant to stroll through the historical
centre of Melfi, rambling aimlessly through the tiny streets around
the castle.
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