Castello di Cancellara, Medieval castle in Cancellara, Italy

Castello di Cancellara is a medieval fortress built across three levels with limestone walls and irregular masonry patterns throughout its structure. The compound includes two inner courtyards and multiple interconnected buildings that developed over time.

The fortress was first documented in the 15th century when King Ferdinand I of Naples and his son owned the property. From that period forward, the structure underwent changes as it remained under noble control for generations.

Since 2014 the castle has housed the Basilicata section of the Istituto Italiano dei Castelli. The name Cancellara may derive from the Latin cancelli, referring to the gates or boundary markers of the fief. Oral tradition links a child-scaring figure, u Munacidd, to the cistern well inside the walls.

The castle stands on a hill reached by a stepped path; the south side is held by a retaining wall about 40 metres high, built from the early 1900s in three tiers. The north front keeps the original defensive features, including the keep, the battered walls, the arrow slits, the semicircular tower and the walkway. The main entrance is a portal beside the square tower, opening onto the courtyard and the access stairway.

Local accounts mention the existence of 365 rooms supposedly within the castle walls, though no definitive count has ever been verified. This persistent story reflects how the sprawling layout baffled those who tried to map out every corner of the property.