The castle of Bovino was built by the Norman Count Drogone and later expanded by Frederick II, and in the 1600s it was transformed into a noble residence by the dukes of Guevara. Currently inhabited by the descendants of the Guevara family, in the past it was one of the most beautiful patrician residences in the South of Italy.
The Norman tower exists and is supported by a massive barbacane, in pyramidal shape. The construction is still retains good, between rocks and walls that partly retain vestiges of roman and hanging gardens. The castle stands on a rocky spur and overlooks the whole valley, famous for the raids of the bandits who, until the advent of united Italy, took to assaulting and plundering caravans and coaches that, from the Campania Region, to reach the Adriatic coast, were forced to pass through this narrow and dangerous throat between the mountains. The rooms of the Palazzo Ducale offer the visitor the possibility to appreciate the rich decor and visit the small but charming private chapel with majolica floor, where there is preserved a fragment of Sacred Plug, nestled in a cross of admirable workmanship, together with many relics of saints including a particle of purpura of Jesus Christ.
The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.