A thousand-year history began when the inhabitants of the City of the Three Crowns, forced to flee to defend themselves from the continuous raids of the barbarians, took refuge in a fortified center nestled in the mountains, creating the ancient Ricetto, the first historic center at the top of the village. The studies, the researches, the archaeological excavations, have brought to light the signs of a past that has its origins in the Plan of St. Mark, a small karst depression, home to an ancient Roman pagus of the Republic of Peltuinum. Coins, stone inscriptions, funerary urns tell a story that began in the 11th century before Christ, while the superb architecture of the village keeps alive a more recent past.

The works of art that the town preserves recall the different influences of the families that dominated it, the Counts of Acquaviva, the Sforza, the Piccolomini and the Medici, Lords of Florence who wrote two centuries of history. And again the Bourbons until the Unification of Italy in 1861, when the country is prey to brigandage. From the beginning of 1900 the development of a more modern city that realizes important public works takes place. In this historical scenario we draw the life of a people of shepherds and farmers who have been able to draw from the difficulties of survival of a harsh and isolated territory, an opportunity for wealth that can still be read today in the wonders to which it has been able to give life. The pre-Roman age dates back to the high settlement of the Battle Hill, where the battle of the Roman army led by the consul Brutus Sceva took place, against Aufina (the current Ofena) and the nearby lands, including the legendary City of the Three Crowns (Titus Livius, Book VIII, 29).

At the end of the VIII century. the population gathered near the church of S. Marco which is part of the possessions of the monks of Volterra of S. Pietro ad Oratorium, giving rise to the town of Marcianisci or Marzanisci. In the tenth century, for defensive reasons, the population created on the hill of S. Marco, east of the Piano, a new settlement of which some remains still remain today. Between the eleventh and twelfth centuries to escape the raids of the barbarians, the population still moves and goes to constitute the original nucleus of Castel del Monte in the highest and oldest part of the country, the Ricetto, which develops around the castle. In 1223 the name Castellum de Monte appeared for the first time in the papal bull of Honorius III. In 1298 Corrado D'Acquaviva took possession of a part of the village and then became its sole owner, in 1315, following the cession by Matteo D'Atri of his possessions. In 1383 Castel del Monte gave a feud to Pietro, Count of Celano. In 1474 the town became part of the possessions of Alessandro Sforza, and then passed to the Piccolomini. In 1579 the Piccolomini sold Castel del Monte to the Medici family, the lords of Florence, who were excellent governors until 1743. From 1743 to 1861 Castel del Monte is part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies under the domination of the Bourbons. Since 1861, with the unification of Italy, the phenomenon of brigandage has forced the village to live a very withdrawn life. At the beginning of the 20th century, thanks to the economic recovery, especially for sheep breeding, many public works were carried out.

After the two world wars, following the serious economic crisis, many castellans emigrated to France, Belgium, Germany, America to work in factories and especially in coal mines. The medieval village of Castel del Monte offers a beautiful artistic and scenic scenery that gives unique sensations. The walk under the sporti, through the streets of the center, transports the visitor in an atmosphere that tastes of ancient beliefs and traditions. Suspended halfway between reality and imagination, the spirit of the village, unchanged in time, lights up every year, on 17 and 18 August, when the ancient "ritual de re sette sporte", or the Night of the Witches.

Expanses of fields that seem endless under the gaze of the highest peaks of Gran Sasso, flocks of all species gathered in a single plain, party and fair, exchanges and sales of cattle, shows the most beautiful specimens, prizes and music. All this is the Piana di Campo Imperatore on 5 August each year, a day dedicated to the Sheep Festival. It’s a big day celebrating the importance of pastoralism to the local economy. On the background of an unforgettable landscape, enrich the day institutional meetings, conferences focused on sheep farming and debates on the territory, which find space between tastings of local products, the scent of delicious arrosticini. A public success that is renewed every year. Spirituality is strong in Castel del Monte. Religious appointments attract many people to the village who participate in the services.

The most important celebrations, such as the Feast of the Patron St. Donato (6 and 7 August) and the procession of the Madonna dei Pastori (8 September), are followed with devotion by the faithful who respect the rites of ancient customs. The processions generally take place in the center of the village and the suggestion of the faint light of the candles, the songs and the scenery of the village, can hardly be described with words. These events are particularly felt because they represent a way for local people to keep alive the culture, rituals, cults and beliefs that strengthen the strong link between past, present and future.