Assisi PG Rocca Maggiore

The bleached yellow bones of this fortress glower high above the city, a reminder of the hated Cardinal Albornoz, who built the 14th-century version we see today to establish papal authority over Assisi. A young Frederick II, future Holy Roman Emperor, spent his earliest childhood within the walls of the short-lived 12th-century fortress that stood here, on an Umbri burial site. Beyond the circular rampart added in the 16th century by Pope Paul III, you can enter the outer walls to visit the restored keep and soldiers' quarters. Inside, the castle is a warren of rooms and halls highlighting costumes, arms and festivals of medieval Assisi. A very long corridor lit by repeating arrow slits leads to a polygonal watchtower, with a panoramic view, that's not lit at all. The warning sign at the corridor's base is no joke -- a spiral staircase in the pitch dark can be quite a challenge for those who don't come equipped with a flashlight. From the top of the keep is a stunning view to Assisi below -- indeed, the best part of a visit here is the walk up the hill through ever narrowing streets.