Discover Andria: Castel del Monte and Alta Murgia

Andria offers you a journey through impressive fortress architecture, sacred history, the Renaissance and the landscape of the Alta Murgia. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Andria, you can tailor your stay to different interests: to the city’s cultural sites as well as to trails and landscapes around Castel del Monte.

Holiday apartment in Andria between fortress and urban history

Castel del Monte is an octagonal fortress built in the 13th century by Federico II di Svevia in Andria and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The surrounding area is also one of the city’s defining features: 12,000 hectares of Andria’s municipal area lie within the Parco Nazionale dell’Alta Murgia, established in 2004.

The Cattedrale “Santa Maria Assunta in Cielo” houses the Sacra Spina, traditionally believed to be part of Jesus’s crown of thorns, and the relics of San Riccardo, Bishop of Andria, which are venerated there. The crypt also contains the remains of Jolanda Di Brienne and Isabella d’Inghilterra, two wives of Federico II di Svevia. Together with the bell towers of the Chiesa di San Domenico and the Chiesa di San Francesco, the cathedral’s bell tower forms the symbol of Andria as the “Città dei tre campanili”.

The Santuario di Santa Maria dei Miracoli consists of an upper basilica, the Cappella della Crocifissione and a grotto. It houses the Holy Image of the Madonna dei Miracoli, the co-patron saint of Andria. The historic centre is also home to Palazzo Ducale, a Renaissance building constructed in the 16th century that now houses exhibition and cultural spaces. The Museo del Confetto “Giovanni Mucci”, located in the former premises of the historic factory, offers a dedicated introduction to the region’s culinary heritage. In four sections, it presents documents, tools, machines and moulds relating to the history of the Mucci family’s traditional confectionery production.

Landscape and trails in the Alta Murgia

The Lama di Santa Margherita is a site of considerable landscape, archaeological and architectural importance. Some of its banks are covered with rare and unique, yet lush, vegetation. Several caves are part of this landscape, including caves where the image of the Madonna dei Miracoli was found.

Different routes are available for exploring the Murgia. Route G leads through Mediterranean grassland and along unpaved paths through the pine forest around Castel del Monte to the entrance to the castle. Route H of the Parco Nazionale dell’Alta Murgia has a total length of 22 km. It begins at the rural church of Santa Lucia and follows low-traffic roads along the route of the old local postal roads through a typical Murgia landscape with small plots cultivated with olive and almond trees.

Castel del Monte can be reached from Andria by city bus route 6. The bus runs from the bus terminal on Piazza Marinai d’Italia to Castel del Monte. This makes it possible to include the fortress as a separate focus when planning a stay, while the city itself brings together its cathedral, Palazzo Ducale and other sites of cultural and historical interest.

Choose the right accommodation based on your travel interests

When choosing a holiday apartment in Andria, you can therefore first decide whether the city’s history, religious sites, traditional confectionery or the landscape of the Alta Murgia is your main priority. Those who combine different interests will find distinctive points of interest in Andria for cultural days, as well as themes for walks through grassland, pine forest and Murgia plots. The documented lengths and routes of the trails help you incorporate active days more consciously into your own stay planning.

More destinations: Corato, San Giorgio, Sammichele Di Bari, Molfetta, Gorgofreddo, Rutigliano, Santeramo In Colle and Giovinazzo.

To the main travel overview: Bari.