Bernalda Castle, Medieval castle in Bernalda, Italy

Bernalda Castle is a fortified structure in southern Italy's Basilicata region, positioned on high ground overlooking the Basento valley. The building has a rectangular layout with corner towers and contained multiple wells throughout to supply water during extended sieges.

The site, once called Camarda, held a Roman square structure of 20 by 20 metres with a single tower guarding the Basento valley and the sea. The present castle was built by Bernardino de Bernaudo, secretary of King Alfonso II of Naples, and enlarged by the Perez Navarrete family, who extended it seven metres forward and seven to the north. In 1735 King Charles III of Bourbon stayed here while touring his newly acquired kingdom.

The town and its patron saint take their names from Bernardino de Bernaudo, secretary of King Alfonso II of Naples, who built the present castle; the patron changed from San Donato to San Bernardino. From 1870 to 1990 the castle belonged to the Caruso family, who rented it out: the lower floor was a private dwelling and the upper floor housed a Carabinieri station. The comune acquired it in 1999.

The castle stands on high ground above the Basento valley, oriented toward the southeast, with sightlines to Metaponto, Torremare and, on the opposite slope, Torre Accio. Inside, a tunnel once led down to the Basento as an escape route during sieges; studies of it are still under way, so parts of the interior may not be walkable.

Inside the castle, a tunnel once led to the Basento valley as an escape route during sieges; it became usable after the Roman cistern was decommissioned, and water marks are still visible on the cocciopesto lining at the level where the cistern once filled.