Built to defend the city of the same name, the Castle of Manfredonia gave refuge to the displaced population of ancient Siponto.

Manfredonia, whose name comes from King Manfredi, who had founded it a few steps from Siponto, is defined as the gateway to the Gargano, of which it represents the most populous municipality. Even Lucio Dalla, a native of this city, wrote numerous songs about its beauty, recounting the happy moments lived in its streets. Discover the places and activities offered by this magical city!


Manfredonia

The ticket is free for children under six years old.

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MEETING POINT

Kindergarten / Primary School - Secondary School I and II degree - Individuals - Families - Groups adults / children - People with motor, cognitive and sensory disabilities.

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We ask you to respect the departure time of the guided tour to ensure everyone has a smooth visit experience.

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Built to defend the city of the same name, the Castle of Manfredonia gave refuge to the displaced population of ancient Siponto.

Visit it together with an **expert guide** , who will be able to show you the wonders of this place!


ATTENTION for the INDIVIDUAL fare it is required to purchase a minimum of 2 tickets. 

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Manfredonia Museum and Castle Guided Tour

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The Castle of King Manfred: fortress and its evolution

The route illustrates and describes the characteristics of the fortified plant, attributed by tradition to King Manfredi, and subsequent interventions during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, with particular attention to decorative elements, such as bas-reliefs to embellish the walls.

From prehistory to the daunian civilization

Inside the museum you will discover the finds of the territory of the Gargano and the Tavoliere, from Prehistory to the archaic age, with particular regard to the testimonies of the Dauni civilization, including the famous steles (VII-VI century BC).

The Castle of Manfredonia was built to defend the town of the same name, built in the 13th century to accommodate the population of ancient Siponto, which had become inhospitable due to swamps around the town. 

**The Castle structure**

The town of Manfredonia was built at the behest of Manfredi, son of Frederick II of Swabia. 
When he died, the town still lacked defensive structures, and it was King Charles of Anjou who completed the city walls and the castle. The part dating back to the **Angevin period** had a quadrangular plan, with four square towers at the corners, and a fifth defending the entrance portal. During the **Aragonese period** (following the Angevin defeat in 1442), the towers became cylindrical and a second outer wall was built. 

A further modification dates back to the period of the **Spanish viceroys** with the construction of the pentagonal bastion facing the city. After being sacked by the Turks in 1620, the Castle lost its defensive function and was used as a prison, barracks and was then occupied by public housing.  In 1968, the municipality donated the Castle to the State to accommodate the Gargano National Museum. 

**The National Archaeological Museum of Manfredonia**

The museum collection is linked to the Tuscan archaeologist Silvio Ferri. In the 1960s he launched an intense activity to recover the precious Daunian stelae found by chance due to ploughing in the countryside of the Sipontine district. 
Numerous stele fragments were recovered, catalogued, deposited on the premises of the Manfredonia Town Hall and transferred to the Castle as soon as it became National Museum. Today, the Museum's collection of **Daunian stelae** is the most important in the world. 

**A journey from Prehistory to the Dauni civilisation**

The museum collections lead us to the discovery of traces of the ancient peoples of northern Apulia, from Prehistory to the 5th century BC. The narrative is developed in three thematic itineraries. The first is ***Prehistory. Winds of the Neolithic. Men of Copper***; here the narrative starts with an account of the agricultural economy and animal husbandry during the Neolithic period, which flows naturally into ***Metropolis of the Bronze Age*** (2300-1000 B.C.), the path focusing on metallurgical innovations and the development of fortified settlements. 

The last rooms are dedicated to the society of the Daunians. In ***The Dauni. The land of the foreign king*** - a name that evokes the myths and legends surrounding the formation of this society – funeral finds from the main centres inhabited in the pre-Roman age by the Dauni (including Monte Saraceno, Salapia, Cupola-Beccarini, Canosa Toppicelli) are illustrated, from 1000 BC. 

**An original artistic expression**

The last part of the exhibition is dedicated to a particular artistic symbol of Daunia: the Daunian stelae. These are **stone slabs with stylised male and female forms**, produced between the 7th and 6th centuries B.C., mainly in the Sipontine plain. Attributable to high-ranking personages of Daunian civilisation, they are used as grave markers (elements outside the tombs to indicate their presence to passers-by) and decorated with red, black and yellow engravings and colours. They are distinguished by their ornaments and the rich set of decorative elements of the funerary garment (necklaces, fibulae, pendants, belts). There are also stelae with weapons, characterised by the presence of breastplates, swords and round shields.

Manfredonia National Archaeological Museum and Castle

A castle for defending a displaced population

The Castle of Manfredonia was built to defend the town of the same name, built in the 13th century to accommodate the population of ancient Siponto, which had become inhospitable due to swamps around the town.                                                                              


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Manfredonia Museum and Castle Guided Tour

Notices(5)

Paths(2)

The Castle of King Manfred: fortress and its evolution

From prehistory to the daunian civilization

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