Castello Tramontano

Castello Tramontano is an imposing castle located on the Lapillo Hill, in Parco del Castello, overlooking the historical center of Matera.

Castello Tramontano was featured in films such as Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Gospel According to St. Matthew and Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.

SHORT HISTORY OF CASTELLO TRAMONTANO

Although the new King of Naples, Ferdinand II, promised to the Materans that he will not give the town to another feudal lord, the Count Giovan Carlo Tramontano obtained Matera and the surrounding area in 1496.

The castle was built by the Count starting with 1501, with the purpose of feudal control over the surrounding area rather than defense of the city itself.

For the construction of the castle were spent as many as 25,000 ducats, and the heavy taxation on the local population to fund the castle’s construction led to widespread resentment.

The people of Matera, already struggling with poverty and difficult living conditions, grew increasingly frustrated with their new ruler’s demands.

Tired of the continuous abuses, some citizens murdered the tyrant on December 29, 1514, as he was leaving the Cathedral of Matera, in a street which was later eloquently called Via della Riscatto (Street of Redemption).

After the assassination of the Count, the castle was abandoned, and for centuries it remained in a state of neglect.

Since 2008, the castle has been affected, together with the surrounding park, by restoration works. Some of these interventions are aimed at the recovery of the moat around the castle.

Castello Tramontano

ARCHITECTURE OF CASTELLO TRAMONTANO

The castle was built in Aragonese style, with a central keep and two lower lateral towers, equipped with battlements and arrowslits.

HOW TO GET TO CASTELLO TRAMONTANO

Castello Tramontano is located about 550 meters away from the Matera Centrale railway station and about 300 meters from Piazza Vittorio Veneto and the western limit of the historical Sassi of Matera.

The closest bus stop is located in Via Lucana 101, about 180 meters away, on the bus Lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 5B, 9, 11 and 13.