In 1996, Castel del Monte was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which described it as "a unique masterpiece of medieval military architecture".

[3] Described by the Enciclopedia Italiana as "the most fascinating castle built by Frederick II",[4] it also appears on the Italian version of the one cent Euro coin.

[1] It lies in the comune of Andria, province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, occupying the site of an earlier fortress of which no structural remains exist.

Because of its relatively small size, it was once considered to be no more than a "hunting lodge", but scholars now believe it originally had a curtain wall and did serve as a citadel.

[2] Frederick II was responsible for the construction of many castles in Apulia, but Castel del Monte's geometric design was unique.

Frederick II may have been inspired to build to this shape by either the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which he had seen during the Sixth Crusade, or by the Palatine Chapel of Aachen Cathedral.

[4] After having been abandoned for a considerable length of time, the castle was purchased in 1876 for the sum of 25,000 lire by the Italian State, which began the process of restoration in 1928.

[10] During the Allied occupation of World War II, the United States 15th Army Air Force headquartered a secret navigational aid station called Big Fence at the castle.

Scientists named the drug daunorubicin and further development identified a related compound doxorubicin that finds use as a chemotherapeutic agent used to treat cancer.

Italian historian Raffaele Licinio often condemned those esoteric views and interpretations, stressing that Castel del Monte was just one of the castles of the fortification system developed by Frederick II, and it is not in any way linked to the Templars.

The roses include 65–100% Uva di Troia and/or Bombino nero with the other red grape varieties filling out the rest.