The Castle, built for defensive purposes, given its narrow spaces, was built in Aragonese style, but not completed, due to the death of the count.
In fact, of the five towers envisaged by the original project, only three were built, that is, the central male, plus two side towers with a circular base, equipped with loopholes. Even the moat itself was left incomplete.
The Tramontano Castle is located on the hill of Lapillo, outside the city walls, in a position of domination over the historic center of Matera. This suggests that the count wanted to defend himself not only from external attacks, but also from his own population.
The works were started in 1501 with an initial allocation of 25 thousand ducats, which obviously weighed on the Materans.
Other works of consolidation of the defensive walls of the city were not completed due to the departure of the count, as evidenced by the remains of an Aragonese tower, found under the Palazzo dell’Annunziata, in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, together with the other hypogea and the Palombaro Lungo, on the occasion of the reconstruction works of the same square, in the early 90s.
The castle, restored, today is inside a green area that has become a city park, where cultural events and concerts are held.
