Castello di Manfredonia e Museo Archeologico Nazionale

Manfredonia’s castle combines a medieval and early-modern fortress with the National Archaeological Museum. Its collections include the Daunian funerary stelae recovered from sites across the former territory of Siponto.

Why it matters

The fortress and museum bring together the history of Manfredonia and the much older settlements of the surrounding region. The Daunian stelae, carved limestone monuments dating chiefly to the seventh and sixth centuries BC, are among the museum’s most distinctive collections.

What to notice

The castle’s fabric records successive military adaptations: an Angevin rectangular plan with square towers, later rounded towers, a moat and outer defences, and the angled Bastione dell’Annunziata. The museum’s chronological displays include Neolithic settlements, Bronze Age fortified sites and Daunian funerary material, culminating in the stelae collection.

Context and history

Tradition attributes the castle’s design to Manfred, son of Frederick II, but documentary evidence does not establish his authorship. The earliest certain record dates to 1279. Aragonese and later Spanish rulers strengthened the fortress for changing forms of warfare. The 1620 sack of Manfredonia ended its principal defensive role, and the building later served a succession of civic and military purposes. In 1968 it was transferred to the Italian state for use as a museum, following archaeologist Silvio Ferri’s campaign to recover and preserve the Daunian stelae.