Castle of Valsinni, Medieval castle in Valsinni, Italy

The Castle of Valsinni stands in the town of Valsinni, in the province of Matera, Basilicate. It was probably built shortly after the year 1000 on the remains of a Lombard fortification, and Benedetto Croce traced its origin to a Roman castrum guarding the last gorge of the Sinni river before it opens toward the Ionian Sea. It is an Italian national heritage site.

The fortress was built around the year 1000 as a Lombard structure meant to defend the surrounding territory. The Morra family controlled it for roughly 140 years before it passed to the Rinaldi family.

The poet Isabella Morra lived here in the 16th century and wrote verses about isolation and longing that are still read today. A literary park on the grounds carries her name and keeps her presence felt for anyone who visits.

Access to the castle is on foot via hillside paths, so comfortable shoes are worth wearing before you set off. Some interior spaces are narrow, so it helps to allow enough time to move through the different levels without rushing.

Isabella Morra was killed here by her own brothers after they discovered she had been exchanging letters with a married nobleman. Her poems, which survived despite these events, are studied today as part of 16th-century Italian literary history.