Fodor's Expert Review Taverna Sforza Castel Del Monte

The Taverna Sforza has been catering to visitors to the isolated Castel del Monte since 1910. Lying at the foot of the hill just below the castle, it has a garden for alfresco dining in summer and a cheery hostelry-type interior with an open fire in winter. Specialties include maccheroni all'origano (a pasta dish flavored with oregano), zuppa di carboncelli e ceci (soup of carboncelli mushrooms and chickpeas), and pollo rosolato al burro (chicken grilled in butter) served with vegetables from the Taverna's own garden. The restaurant also acts as a cafeteria, wine cellar, and bookshop, and organizes cooking classes of regional dishes in summer.