Baronial Castle of Policoro

The Castello Baronale is the historic core from which Policoro grew. It stands on a small hill overlooking the Metapontino plain, between the mouths of the Agri and Sinni rivers, about one kilometre from the Parco archeologico di Herakleia and the Museo della Siritide. In town it is also called Palazzo Berlingieri, after the last barons who owned it.

From monastery to baronial residence

Its origins date back to the early Middle Ages. Around the 8th century, Basilian monks founded a fortified monastery here, which was also an agricultural centre for cultivating the plain. The complex later passed to the Benedictines and then to the Jesuits, who turned it into a fortified farmhouse (casale fortificato). Today the building still largely keeps the appearance the Jesuits gave it in the 17th century.

In 1791 Princess Maria Grimaldi Gerace Serra bought the palace and estate and turned the former monastery into a noble residence. At the end of the 19th century the property passed to the Berlingieri barons of Crotone.

The town that grew up around the castle

For centuries, the only buildings around the castle were farmers’ houses and a few structures serving the estate. Today’s Policoro was born with the land reform after the Second World War: on 14 April 1953 work began on the new settlement, built around the present-day Piazza Eraclea. On 26 February 1959 Policoro separated from Montalbano Jonico and became an independent comune, the first one born in Italy on land from the land reform. At the time it had around 800 inhabitants; today there are nearly 18,000.

What to see

• The façade: inscriptions on the ground-floor window lintels tell the story of the building’s different phases.
• The 18th-century portal, topped by the Berlingieri coat of arms. It leads into the rectangular inner courtyard, from which you can reach the service rooms, the cellars and the monumental staircase rising to the upper floors.
• The chapel of the Madonna del Ponte, next to the palace. It dates from the early 18th century and once housed the medieval wooden statue of the patron saint, now kept in the mother church in Piazza Eraclea. The chapel retains the Jesuit monogram and the coats of arms of the Grimaldi and Serra families. It was restored in 1899 and reopened for worship in 1902 at the wish of Baron Berlingieri.
• The view over the cultivated plain surrounding the town.

How to get there

• By car: take the Statale 106 Jonica and exit at Policoro, then follow the signs for the centre. The castle is on Via Castello, on the hill north-east of Piazza Eraclea. Park on the nearby streets.
• From Matera: about an hour’s drive. Head towards Metaponto and continue south on the 106 Jonica.
• On foot: from Piazza Eraclea it is about 600 metres, roughly ten minutes. The Museo della Siritide and the Parco di Herakleia are about a kilometre away: all three can be visited in the same morning.
• By train: the nearest station is Policoro-Tursi, on the Taranto–Reggio Calabria line. From there the castle is a few minutes away by car or taxi.

Useful information

• Address: via Castello, 75025 Policoro (MT)
• The castle is privately owned and houses professional and hospitality businesses. The exterior and the chapel can be seen freely. The courtyard and ground-floor rooms can only be visited during special openings, such as the Giornate FAI (FAI Days, when normally closed heritage sites open to the public).
• Before your visit, it is best to check whether any openings or events are scheduled.
• The castle is in an inhabited area: please respect private property and the people who live and work there.