L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano C a s t e l d e l M o n t e h a s a w a y t o c h a r m i t s v i s i t o r s . Architecturally u n i q u e a n d h i s t o r i c a l l y p r e c i o u s , t h i s m e d i e v a l dwelling located some 15 m i l e s f r o m A n d r i a a n d a b o u t 5 0 f r o m B a r i , i n A p u l i a , h a d b e e n c o n - structed in the 13 th centu- ry to meet the requests of Frederick II, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. I t s b e a u t y a n d , a s w e will see, its peculiarities, made of it one of the most v i s i t e d a t t r a c t i o n i n t h e B e l p a e s e , a s w e l l a s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Even the silver screen paid homage to Castel del Monte when Jean-Jacques Annaud, director of iconic T h e N a m e o f t h e R o s e , movie inspired by Umberto Eco's novel, took inspira- tion from its architecture to structure the library at t h e h e a r t o f n a r r a t i o n . A n o t h e r d i r e c t o r , t h e I t a l i a n M a t t e o G a r r o n e , used it as a backdrop for his Tale of Tales (2015) a n d i n 2 0 1 7 , C a s t e l d e l M o n t e b e c a m e a s e t f o r s o m e s c e n e s o f P a t t y Jenkins' Wonder Woman. H o w e v e r , n o m o d e r n artist, director or intellec- tual can match the glorious mind and the myth of its creator, Stupor Mundi's Frederick II of Swabia, a ruler symbol of moderni- ty, a curious intellectual and illuminated politician; ideated in its structure and myriads of special features b y F r e d e r i c k h i m s e l f , C a s t e l d e l M o n t e i s , t o m a n y , t h e v e r y e m b o d i - ment of the greatness of his mind, its secrets per- haps buried away with the emperor himself. The castle is character- i z e d b y i t s o c t a g o n a l p l a n i m e t r y , p e r h a p s inspired by the octagonal c r o w n w i t h w h i c h F r e d e r i c k h a d b e e n crowned an emperor. The number "8" recurs very often in Castel del Monte: eight are its towers and its internal rooms; eight are t h e c l o v e r s a b o v e i t s entrance and eight are the leaves decorating each of t h e v o l u t e s t o p p i n g a l l columns in the building. Decorative patterns char- acterized by the number are present across the cas- tle, clear sign it didn't hap- p e n b y c h a n c e . A s i n C h r i s t i a n s y m b o l i s m "eight" embodies the infi- nite and, therefore, resur- r e c t i o n , s o m e b e l i e v e Frederick II introduced the number into the castle's structure as a nod to his own Christian Faith. M a n y h a v e t r i e d , o f course, to explain the mys- tery of the castle's shape, often seeking an answer in astronomy and esoteri- cism: some, for instance, believe there is a connec- tion between the castle and Cheops' pyramid, by which Frederick II may have been i n s p i r e d . B u t t h e c a s t l e also presents several astro- l o g i c a l s y m b o l s a n d t h e v e r y p l a c e w h e r e i t h a s been built has astrological relevance. Moreover, the t w o l i o n s a b o v e t h e c o l u m n s a t t h e c a s t l e ' s entrance look towards the point where the sun rises on the summer and winter solstices. There is more, because Castel del Monte has also been long associated with t h e l e g e n d o f t h e H o l y Grail: according to some, t h e e l u s i v e c h a l i c e h a d been hidden here at some stage of its mysterious his- tory. The connection with the Grail, or more precisely, with the Holy Land, is also f o u n d i n o t h e r t h e o r i e s r e l a t e d t o C a s t e l d e l Monte; for instance, some believe that its octagonal shape could be a reminder of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, whose planime- try is also octagonal. A s F r e d e r i c k I I w a s a man of a million interests and of great knowledge, all t h e s e p e c u l i a r i t i e s shouldn't surprise, just as it shouldn't surprise that he wanted to ensure his own mark, a way to show t o t h e w o r l d C a s t e l d e l M o n t e w a s h i s a n d o n l y h i s , w a s v i s i b l e o n t h e building. For instance, he h a d a l i l y – a f l o w e r h e l o v e d a n d t h a t h e o f t e n referred to in his writings – d e p i c t e d i n t h e s i x t h r o o m o f t h e c a s t l e ; t h e number 56, his age when he died, recurs often in the m e a s u r e m e n t s o f t h e building; last but not least, the letter "F" can be spot- ted in some parts of the castle as well. M a g i c a n d m y s t e r y a s i d e , t r u t h i s w e d o n ' t e v e n k n o w c l e a r l y w h y Frederick II wanted Castel del Monte: most archaeol- o g i s t s a n d h i s t o r i a n s exclude it was created with a d e f e n s i v e p u r p o s e , because its position isn't s t r a t e g i c , a n d i t d o e s n ' t have any defensive walls. Some maintain Castel del Monte was conceived as a t e m p l e o f k n o w l e d g e , a place where the emperor could dedicate his time to science, literature and the arts, and this hypothesis s e e m s t o f i t w e l l w i t h a n o t h e r , a c c o r d i n g t o w h i c h t h e b u i l d i n g w a s , quite simply, a retreat for the emperor, a place to rest and unwind, in a region – Apulia – he loved dearly. Regardless to the mean- ing of its shape and mys- teries of its function and structure, Castel del Monte is a wonder of the world, a unique example of balance between architecture and the environment, between what's man made and what has been created by nature. And this is one of the many r e a s o n s t h e b u i l d i n g became, in 1996, part of t h e U N E S C O W o r l d Heritage List. Perhaps, it is t h r o u g h U N E S C O ' s o w n words that the importance of Castel del Monte can be explained: "The site is of o u t s t a n d i n g u n i v e r s a l value in its formal perfec- tion and its harmonious blending of cultural ele- m e n t s f r o m n o r t h e r n Europe, the Muslim world a n d c l a s s i c a l a n t i q u i t y . C a s t e l d e l M o n t e i s a u n i q u e m a s t e r p i e c e o f m e d i e v a l a r c h i t e c t u r e , r e f l e c t i n g t h e h u m a n i s t i d e a s o f i t s f o u n d e r , F r e d e r i c k I I o f Hohenstaufen." FRANCESCA BEZZONE The mysterious architecture of Castel del Monte, in Puglia (Photo: Drlogen/Dreamstime) T h e m y s t e r i e s a n d s e c r e t s o f Castel del Monte LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE

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