• Apulia

  Lecce

  Lecce

  73100

  0832

  238,39 Kmq

  89.598

  Via Rubichi 16

Lecce, the city of Baroque, is famous all over the world thanks to its really valuable Baroque which is its distinguishing mark; its splendour is due to the intuition of emperor Carlo V, who provided the city with new defensive structures against the Turks and promoted the artistic development which made the city win the name Firenze del Sud (“the Florence of southern Italy”). Since 1630, indeed, the city has been deeply renewed according to the new Baroque taste, becoming a real building yard.

Originally Lecce was a Messapic town, founded as suburb of the ancient Rudiae; after the Roman conquest, in the 3rd century B.C., it took the name Lupiae becoming a “municipium”. At that time the city experienced a period of great magnificence with emperor Marco Aurelio. With Normans it became the chief town of the Salento, being the most important trading and politic centre in the whole area. Here was born Tancredi, the last Norman king, son of Ruggero III. The old town centre is full of beautiful Baroque buildings but, notwithstanding this, it shows its medieval structure with streets, arches, courtyards, squares, palaces and churches.

The heart of the city is represented by the square dedicated to Sant’Oronzo, characterized by a Roman elliptical Amphitheatre excavated in the calcareous rock,count in the 2nd century B.C.; it could accommodate 20.000 people. Here it is possible to admire also the Palazzo del Sedile, with its 16th – century arcade, which was the seat of the municipal authorities, and the column of Sant’Oronzo, patron saint of the town. The column comes from Brindisi, where, with a second column, marked the end of the Appian way. Symbol of the civil power is the castle of Carlo V, who conformed the Norman castle, built by count Tancredi, to the new defensive requirements commissioning the work to the architect Gian Giacomo dell’Acaja, who realized it between 1539 and 1549.

In opposition to the lay square dedicated to Sant’Oronzo, we find the magnificent square of the Cathedral: it is one of the most beautiful and elegant places in the town. The square appears as a stage for the Cathedral, the Bishop’s palace and the Seminary, which represent some of the most significant Baroque expressions in Lecce. The Cathedral was built in 1114 with a Romanesque structure and has been completely renovated between 1659 and 1670 by Giuseppe Zimbalo. In order to confer the right perspective to the square, the spectacular side entrance was built being the first façade we see entering the square. At the end of the square, stands the Bishop’s palace, built in the 16th century and renovated many times until the last reorganization realized by Emanuele Manieri, during the 18th century. The palace of the Seminary was built by Giuseppe Cino between the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century; it shows a rich ashlar façade with two orders of windows framed by decorations and a central balcony with an elegant arcade.

The most beautiful church in Lecce is the Basilica di Santa Croce: it was realized according to the plan of Gabriele Riccardi, starting from 1549, and it is the main symbol of the Baroque of Lecce all over the world. The building works lasted more than a century and involved important architects such as Antonio Zimbalo and Cesare Penna. The façade is dominated by its rose window with concentric lintels, flowers and putti, held by a garland borne by some angels. The façade is divided into two orders by an elegant balustrade and it is full of putti, grotesque, symbolic and zoomorphic figures. Inside the church is large and bright; we find three naves divided by columns which date back to the first building phase. Great decorative magnificence can be admired in the chapels altars, in the capitals and in the valuable carved wooden gold ceiling, which covers the central nave; it has been realized during the first half of the 17th century.

Walking in the town centre you can admire the church of San Nicolò and San Cataldo, which is an important Norman monument built in 1180 by count Tancredi; the church said del Rosario; the church of Sant’Irene; the church of San Matteo and the monumental doors said Napoli and Rudiae.

• Apulia

  Lecce

  Gallipoli

  73014

  0833

  40,35 Kmq

  20.259

  Via Antonietta De Pace 78

Kalé polis, the beautiful city. This is the name the Greeks gave it. Gallipoli is sited along the west coast of the Salento peninsula; it overlooks the Ionian sea and appears divided into two different parts that is to say the suburb and the old town centre, which are bound together by a 17th – century stone bridge with seven spans. The suburb is the result of the modern expansion of the city and it lies on a peninsula towards the Ionian sea. The old town lies on an calcareous island surrounded by powerful walls, on which it is possible to take a walk admiring the beautiful view.

There are some doubts about its origins; some scholars think it was founded by Greek colons coming from Sicily, some others assert that it is the ancient Messapic city of Alezio. Surely Gallipoli was a colony of the Magna Grecia which dominated on a wide territory, including the present Porto Cesareo, before becoming a roman “municipium”. During the Middle Ages the city, which was under the control of the Roman Church, has been the scene of terrible battles with the Greek monks who were present all over the Salento. At the beginning of the Middle Ages Gallipoli has been almost surely sacked by Vandals and Goths; then it was rebuilt by Byzantines and experienced a period of social and economic prosperity thanks to its geographic position.

In 11th century Gallipoli was conquered by Normans as the whole Apulia and subsequently, in 1268 with Carlo I d’Angiò, it passed under the power of the Angioini. The town expanded greatly during the Borboni’s domination becoming part of the Regno di Napoli; Ferdinando I di Borbone made the city the most important pole in trading oil for lamps in the Mediterranean sea, thanks to the building of a port in the 18th century. Gallipoli is famous for its Baroque too, which is different from the typical Baroque of Lecce: Lecce is characterized by stone “laceworks” whereas the cathedral of Gallipoli is marked by the magnificence of its colours being completely decorated by large paintings; that’s why it is defined “Baroque of colours”.

The town is defended by a castle which has been built on the ruins of a previous Byzantine fortress, with a quadrangular plan, different circular towers and one polygonal tower. In 1522 the architect Martini, from Siena, realized the so called Rivellino in order to conform the defensive structures of the castle to the introduction of firearms, on commission of Alfonso II, King of Naples. It is an independent defensive structure situated, separated from the fortress, in the sea and linked with the castle by a drawbridge.

Going on to the old town centre, we reach the cathedral of Sant’Agata, which is realized according to the typical Baroque style, marking the whole zone; it has been built on a pre-existing Romanesque church, which had been built, in its turn, on a pagan tabernacle. Inside we can observe the Latin cross plan and very interesting paintings which date back to the 17th and 18th century; they have been realized by Neapolitan and local painters and, covering nearly the whole surface of the church, make it appear as a real picture-gallery, full of beautiful colours. On the other side of the bridge, the modern town lies on a peninsula.

In the zone facing the old town, it is possible to admire the famous Hellenistic fountain rebuilt in the 16th century, probably on a previous fountain which dated back to the 3rd century B.C.; it is decorated with three relieves representing mythological figures of the three metamorphosis of Dirce, Salmace and Biblide. About one mile out to sea, we find the island of Sant’Andrea which is a precious uncontaminated naturalistic habitat, protected as regional park since 2006.

• Apulia

  Brindisi

  Ostuni

  72017

  0831

  225,56 Kmq

  31.709

  Piazza della Liberta 67

Ostuni, famous as the “white town” because of its bright white lime walls, stands on an hill which dominates the sea, at the end of the southern Murgia. It is beautiful with its white little houses, the courtyards and the alleys surrounded by ancient walls with Aragonese towers

It was founded by Messapi, ancient Italic peoples who settled in the Salento in the 7th century B.C. It was a Longobard and a Byzantine town during the Early Middle Ages; afterwards it belonged to the Lecce Earldom, the Taranto Principality, the Sforza family, the Venetians and, finally, to the dukes of Zevallos. The count of Lecce Goffredo III, in the 12th century, stimulated the building of the castle on the highest point of the hill, but nowadays it is possible to see only a tower and a garden of that imposing fortress.

During the Aragonese age, the town was surrounded by powerful defensive walls with circular towers and four doors, of which we can still admire Porta Nova (12th century) and Porta San Demetrio (13th century). During the second half of the 17th century, the area was affected by the plague but Ostuni came out of it undamaged, thanks to the lime used to build houses, which worked as a natural disinfectant.

The lime protected the town and, over the centuries until today, has made Ostuni a magic place. The old suburb said Rione Terra, constitutes the medieval heart of Ostuni, surrounded by walls. Alleys, stairs and arches spread over the white houses and, sometimes, the ochre of the monuments.

On the highest point of the old town centre, stands the 15th – century cathedral. The building works started in 1435 and finished in 1495. The façade is magnificent: it shows late gothic forms, which remind of Venetian and Dalmatian stylistic methods; it is adorned by pilasters and a big rose window with concentric circles and 24 rays, whose dimensions and intaglios make it spectacular. The façade shows three elegant ogival portals.

The interior, with a Basilical plan and a big transept, has been completely renovated according to 18th century forms. The left nave keeps the polychrome wooden altar, realized in 1734, with Saint Oronzo, Saint Biagio and Saint Agostino. In the apse we find a valuable wooden choir made in walnut and richly carved: it dates back to the 17th century.

In the old town centre, divided by via cattedrale, it is possible to admire many noble palaces; it is worth mentioning Zevallos, Bisantizzi, Ghionda, Falghieri and Palnieri, with its beautiful arcade.

In the ex – convent delle Monacelle (little nuns) is situated the Museum of Preclassic Cultures of the southern Murgia; here it is possible to admire Delia’s skeleton, a pregnant woman dead 25.000 years ago.

In the square Libertà, in the centre of the town, stands the 18th – century spire of the patron Saint Oronzo. Here we find also the ex – monastery of Franciscan Friars, now municipal seat, with the church dedicated to the poor men of Assisi, dating back to 1304.

• Apulia

  Bari

  Conversano

  70014

  080

  126,90 Kmq

  25.860

  Piazza XX Settembre 25

Conversano, with its little medieval suburb, lies on the first hills of the Murge; it was already peopled during the Prehistoric Age by Peuceti and Japigi and it is possible to find an evidence of their passage in the ruins of the megalithic walls surrounding the ancient Norba, which can be perfectly admired near the abbey of San Benedetto and at the base of the main tower of the castle. Its origins date back to the Iron Age, when according to most scholars the old settlement of Norba was founded; it was probably destroyed about 441 in consequence of the fall of the Western Roman Empire because of the Visigoti. In the 11th century Conversano became one very important county with properties all over the central and southern zone of Apulia. The first count was Goffredo d’Altavilla in 1054, who was the nephew of Roberto il Guiscardo duke of Apulia. The town is deeply linked with the noble family Aragona which has been feudatory of Conversano since the 15th century transforming it in an elegant Renaissance court devoted to arts and literature. The count Giulo Antonio and his son Andrea Matteo, distinguished themselves by fighting in 1481 in order to reconquer Otranto, which was besieged by Turks; their courage was repaid by Ferdinando I, king of Naples, who let them add the royal name Aragona to the family name Acquaviva.

The main symbol of the town is its imposing castle which stands in a commanding position dominating the whole area as far as the seaside. The structure has been reorganized many times during the centuries and it is characterized by some fortifications which date back to the medieval period; the castle then underwent subsequent Renaissance and Baroque modifications becoming an elegant residence. Evidences of the Norman fortification are the main tower and the medial tower whereas between the 14th and the 15th century some important extension works were realized such as the building of a circular tower at the northern corner. In 1460 the family Acquaviva built a dodecagonal tower: it is an engineering masterpiece because of a cistern, inside of it, around which there is a passage with drains for the defence of the city. In 1710 the present monumental entrance was built with the escutcheon of the noble family; through it we enter the inner courtyard and reach the Renaissance arcade. Many further modifications have been realized in the castle until the end of the 19th century.

In the 17th century the county and the city experienced a period of great prosperity thanks to the count Giangirolamo II known as the Guercio delle Puglie. Famous for his rash chivalrous temperament and known for having been also an important patron, the count Giangirolamo increased the artistic collection of the castle conferring fame and prestige to the family. The meeting with the Neapolitan painter Paolo Finoglio is notorious; he had been guest in Conversano for long time and he realized, for the court, the beautiful ten big paintings (teleri) inspired by Tasso’s Gerusalemme liberata, we can admire within the castle. The heart of the town is represented by the square said della conciliazione, on which the entrance of the Norman castle opens.

Almost in front of the castle we find the Cathedral, emblem of the Apulian Romanesque of the 11th – 12th century. The tripartite hut façade is decorated with three portals and the one in the middle is richly carved and surmounted by a protyrus resting on stylophoric lions; it is also worth mentioning the rose window which dates back to the 15th century. Inside the church shows a basilical plan with three naves and a large transept; at the beginning of the 20th century the church came back to the Romanesque style because of a terrible fire. It has been possible to save from the fire a precious icon which dates back to the 12th century and represents the Vergine della Fonte and, in the left apse, a beautiful 15th century fresco influenced by Tuscan art. Another symbol of the town is the monastery of San Benedetto, known as MONSTRUM APULIAE that is to say astonishment of Apulia. The first Benedictine settlement dates back to the 6th century; in 1098 the count Goffredo provided the monastery with many benefits and properties. In the 13th century the monks left the monastery in consequence of some disagreements with the king Manfredi, son of Federico II, and they were replaced by a women’s branch of the same order. Pope Gregorio X gave the Cistercian nuns the same rights acquired by their predecessors, even the two main episcopal insignia that is to say the mitre and the pastoral staff for the abbess, creating a unique and extraordinary situation in the Latin church.

• Apulia

  Bari

  Monopoli

  70043

  080

  157,89 Kmq

  48.403

  Via Giuseppe Garibaldi 6

Situated on the sea and surrounded by old Messapic walls which date back to the 5th century B.C., Monopoli is one of the most important ports in the Adriatic sea and it is characterized by a very lively old town centre. With its suggestive and characteristic atmosphere, it dates back to Early Middle Ages; it was built on the ruins of an important Messapic town.

Ancient Apulian town, Monopoli was probably peopled by inhabitants of Egnazia fleeing from the city destroyed by Totila, king of Goths. During the Byzantine period it became a rich maritime city and it continued to flourish also after the Norman conquest. Its port was reference point for eastwards journeys and, in particular, for the Crusades and the pilgrimages towards the Holy Land: thanks to its geographical position Monopoli experienced a great economic development. At the end of the peninsula stands the castle; it is a fortress built during the Aragonese period on the ruins of a previous Benedictine monastery, renovated by Carlo V for the sake of defense.

It was built between the 16th and the 17th century and it is characterized by a pentagonal form, typical of 16th – century fortresses. The parade ground of the castle gives a sensation of emotional involvement: it is provided with four gunports, two looking to the open sea and the others looking to the port. It is possible to take a walk on the ancient walls admiring the beautiful sea and covering the whole perimeter of the old town. The main symbol of the city is the elegant cathedral dedicated to the Madonna della Madia, characterized by a luxurious Baroque façade. The church, built in 1107 by bishop Romualdo, had been completely renovated in 1742 according to the Baroque taste. Inside we observe a Latin cross plan with a double transept and a chapel over the major altar, where the 14th – century icon representing the Virgin, patron saint of the city, is kept. In the neighbourhood of the cathedral, it is possible to admire the Renaissance church of San Domenico: it is worth noting the fretwork rose window and the carved façade, realized by Stefano da Putignano.

In the old town centre we find also the medieval church of Santa Maria degli Amalfitani, built in the 12th century on a Basilian crypt. At about 4 km from Monopoli, towards Brindisi, it is possible to visit the castle – abbey of Santo Stefano: it lies on a rocky spur falling sheer to the sea, which was built between the 12th and the 14th century by Benedictine monks. In 15th century the Cavalieri di Malta took control over the abbey transforming it in a real fortress.

Also the countryside around Monopoli is a perfect place for a breathtaking walk, through the ancient ways which, in the past, linked the numerous fortified farms. There are many evidences of ancient Basilian settlements in the countryside, where we can admire some cave-churches which keep precious evidences of Byzantine frescoes: two instances can be the church of the Holy Spirit and the church of San Giovanni.

• Apulia

  Taranto

  Martina Franca

  74015

  080

  295,50 Kmq

  48.958

  Piazza Roma

One of the most elegant city in Apulia, close to the south-eastern area of the Murge, Martina Franca appears as an ancient town marked by narrow alleys and popular courtyards, where it is beautiful to venture and admire the beauties of its Baroque. The elegance of its architecture makes the city precious; the Baroque style is everywhere: in the palaces, the portals, the windows, the balconies and their railings.

Martina Franca dates back to the 10th century, when a little village was founded on the mountain San Martino, by some inhabitants of Taranto fleeing from Saracen devastations; subsequently a group of shepherds joined them. In the 14th century Filippo I d’Angiò gave it the title of comune (commune) and conceded it to Pietro del Tocco, his loyal servant, as feud but according to some historical documents it is possible that Martina Franca was already peopled by a local noble family. Filippo d’Angiò granted to the new town also some franchises and that’s why it is said Franca (free). The name of the town is dedicated to the patron saint San Martino, who is celebrated on 11th November and on the first Sunday of July. According to the tradition, San Martino assisted the inhabitants of Martina Franca many times, protecting them from barbarian invasions and hostile attacks.

During the 16th century the city became feud and dukedom of a rich Neapolitan family: the Caracciolo. In 1668 the duke Petracone V built the present Palazzo ducale, on the ruins of the castle of the family Orsini, probably with the participation of the Lombard architect Giovanni Andrea Carducci, marking the starting point of a golden period for Martina. The palace is characterized by an elegant and plain façade with a long wrought iron balcony. Inside we find a piano nobile (“noble floor”) richly decorated by frescoes by the 18th – century local painter Domenico Carella; the room said dell’Arcadia, that said del Mito and the one said della Bibbia are very famous too. The collegiate church of San Martino is the main symbol of the city and a masterpiece of the Baroque art; it was built during the half of the 18th century and appears as a very imposing building with its high façade; it is 42 metres high and it is divided by a frame and decorated with pilasters, friezes and ornaments like the mixtilinear tympan of the portal, representing San Martino on horseback. Inside the church shows only one Latin cross nave and it is dominated by the big major altar realized in multicoloured marble in 1773, by the so called scola napoletana.

• Apulia

  Lecce

  Melendugno

  73026

  0832

  92,31 Kmq

  9.675

  Via San Nicola

On the coast road between San Cataldo and Otranto, the territory offers an extremely interesting natural panorama, with dunes and beaches alternate with high cliffs. The name Torre dell’Orso comes from the presence of a 16th – century sighting tower, today in ruins.

The buttonhole flower of this stretch of coast is the well-known holiday resort Torre dell’Orso, which is famous thanks to its beautiful sandy beaches and its clean crystal clear sea due to the strong undercurrents of the Canale d’Otranto, which has been titled many times Bandiera Blu (blue flag).

The beach is nearly 1 km long and it is framed by high rocky walls with a great number of caves, once used as storehouses by the fishermen. In the middle of the bay stand two twin stacks called Scogli delle due sorelle (rocks of the two sisters). In Torre dell’Orso, it is possible to practice windsurf, thanks to its winds favouring water acrobatics.

• Puglia

  Lecce

  Gallipoli

  73014

  0833

  40,35 Kmq

  20.259

  Via Antonietta De Pace 78

Kalé polis, la città bella, cosi la chiavavano i greci. Gallipoli situata lungo la costa occidentale della penisola salentina, affacciata sul mar Ionio si presenta a coloro che la visitano divisa tra il borgo e il centro storico, collegate tra loro da un ponte in pietra a sette campate costruito nel XVII sec.. Il primo è frutto dell’espansione moderna della città si estende su una penisola protesa verso lo Ionio. La città vecchia sorge su un isola calcarea circondata da possenti mura, sulla quale si apre un camminamento panoramico dal quale è possibile ammirare incantevoli scorci.

Incerte le sue origini, da alcuni attibuita a d un nucleo di coloni greci derivanti da una città della Sicilia, altri pensano che la città originaria sia stata la messapica Alezio. Certamente Gallipoli fu colonia della Magna Grecia controllando un vasto territorio comprendente l’attuale Porto Cesareo fino a diventare “municipium” romano. Durante il Medioevo la città gallipolina soggetta alla Chiesa di Roma fu teatro di duri scontri con i monaci greci che erano presenti in tutto il salento. Agli inizi del Medioevo fu quasi certamente saccheggiata dai Vandali e dai Goti, ricostruita dai Bizantini, Gallipoli conobbe un periodo di floridezza sociale e commerciale, sfruttando la sua posizione geografica.

Nell’XI secolo, anche Gallipoli come tutta la Puglia fu conquistata dai Normanni e successivamente, nel 1268 con Carlo I d’Angiò, di fatto la città sotto il domino degli Angioini. Grande espansione ebbe la città sotto la dominazione Borbonica entrando a far parte del Regno di Napoli, Ferdinando I di Borbone con la costruzione del porto nel Settecento trasformò la città nel più importante polo oleario del Mediterraneo per il commercio dell’olio per lampade. La città gallipolina è anche famosa per il suo barocco, differente dal tipico barocco leccese, infatti mentre nella vicina Lecce è soprattutto il “ricamo” della pietra a farla da padrona, la cattedrale gallipolina sorprende per il suo splendore di colori essendo per intero tappezzata di grandi dipinti da qui la definizione “barocco di colori”.

A difesa della città il Castello eretto su una precedente fortezza bizantina, a pianta quadrangolare e munito alle estremità di torri circolari e di una poligonale. Nel 1522 l’architetto senese Martini, su commissione di Alfonso II Re di Napoli per adeguare le strutture difensive del Castello all’introduzione delle armi da fuoco, realizzo il cosiddetto Rivellino. Esso rappresenta una struttura difensiva a se stante indipendente dalla fortezza ed isolata nel mare, collegata attraverso un ponte levatoio.

Proseguendo verso il centro della città vecchia si giunge alla Cattedrale di Sant’Agata, realizzate nelle forme tipiche del barocco salentino, su una preesistente chiesa romanica che a sua volta era stata edificata su di un luogo di culto pagano. Al suo interno a croce latina a pianta basilicale sono presenti interessanti tele del seicento e settecento napoletano e locale che ne rivestono quasi per intero la superficie rendendola una vera e propria pinacoteca, facendola vibrare di magnifici colori. Dall’altra parte del ponte la città moderna che si estende su una penisola.

Nella zona prospiciente la città vecchia è possibile ammirare la famosa fontana ellenistica ricostruita nel ‘500, forse su un originale del III sec. a.C. e decorata con tre rilievi che rappresentano figure mitologiche delle tre metamorfosi di Dirce, Salmace e Biblide. A circa un miglio al largo della costa gallipolina tutelata nel 2006 come parco regionale, l’isola di Sant’Andrea è diventata un prezioso abitat naturalistico incontaminato.

• Puglia

  Barletta-Andria-Trani

  Trani

  76125

  0883

  103,41 Kmq

  55.786

  Via Tenente Luigi Morrico 2

Trani è sicuramente una tra le più belle cartoline della nostra regione, uno scrigno di ricchezze storiche, artistiche, religiose e culturali. Apprezzabile non solo per la sua stupenda Cattedrale che si specchia nel mare, ma anche per il suo imponente Castello e per la signorilità del suo centro abitato.

Il mito affida la sua fondazione a Tirreno, figlio di Diomede intorno al III- IV secolo d.C. Tra il IX secolo e il XII secolo, la città è sotto l’influenza dell’impero bizantino fino a quando non capitolò all’influenza normanna e successivamente a quella sveva. In questo periodo storico l’imperatore Federico II fortificò la città con la costruzione del castello nell’anno 1233. Fu senz’altro questa la fase di massimo splendore. In virtù della sua importanza strategica, la città godeva di privilegi amministrativi concessigli da Federico II. Il castello e la città divennero dimore preferite da Manfredi figlio prediletto dell’imperatore.

Quasi a fronteggiare la mole del Castello, si erge una delle più belle Cattedrali di Puglia. I lavori di costruzione sulla precedente basilica di Santa Maria, furono avviati nel 1099 in seguito alla canonizzazione di un ragazzo greco di 18 anni (san Nicola Pellegrino) morto a Trani nel 1094; e conclusi nel 1143. La facciata tripartita a salienti, è impreziosita da una monumentale scalinata a doppia rampa. Il portale è impreziosito da splendidi bassorilievi di ispirazione d’oltralpe ed è chiuso da battenti in bronzo composti da 32 formelle, eseguiti da Barisano da Trani alla fine del XII secolo. L ‘ interno, lascia stupito il visitatore per la presenza di tre chiese sovrapposte l’una sull’altra. Alla quota di calpestio della piazza è la Basilica di Santa Maria, divisa in tre navate da 22 colonne con capitello, dalla quale si accede ad un ipogeo dedicato a san Leucio del V-VII secolo. Attraverso due scalinate si accede alla chiesa superiore, che si presenta divisa in tre navata da colonne abbinate, le quali sorreggono i matronei che attraverso delle trifore si affacciano sulla navata centrale. Nella zona dell’altare si conservano tracce di mosaico che un tempo dovevano ricoprire tutta la pavimentazione. Al disotto del presbiterio vi è la cripta dedicata a San Nicola Pellegrino ultimata nel 1142, è sorretta da pregiate colonne di marmo greco con capitelli di reimpiego.

Meritano di essere visitate anche la romanica chiesa di Ognissanti del XII secolo legata alla presenza Templare in città, e il monastero di Colonna anch’ esso edificato tra l’ XI e il XII secolo. L’imperatore Carlo V nel XVI secolo, la rese sede della Sacra Regia Udienza della provincia e fu sede della Provincia fino al 1808.

• Apulia

  Bari

  Bari

  70121-70132

  080

  117,30 Kmq

  313.213

  Corso Vittorio Emanuele 84

The city of Bari is the chieftown of Apulia and it appears as a very rich and dynamic town. It is the ninth most-populated city in Italy and the third most important city of Southern Italy after Naples and Palermo. It was founded by Illyrians and then became a roman city being a strategic centre on the Via Traiana; subsequently it was under the dominance of Longobards, Arabians and Bizantynes until the Norman conquest.

During the Middle Ages the history of the city is deeply linked with the cult of San Nicola, whose survivals arrived in Bari in 1087, and with the construction of the famous Basilica dedicated to him, which make the city one of the most important reference point of Christianity. In 1500 Bari experienced a moment of great glory thanks to the court of the duchess Isabella D’Aragona. In 1813, during the Napoleonic reign, the King Murat inaugurates the new town which brings his name (quartiere murattiano) characterized by large orthogonal streets. The old town, which is the real popular heart of the city, lies on a little peninsula; it is marked by many alleys, arches and courts and it is defended by ancient walls, on which it is possible to walk admiring the beautiful view.

The Cathedral dedicated to San Sabino was built in the 12th century and it was erected on the previous early Christian Basilica dedicated to Santa Maria, which can be seen under the central nave of the medieval church. The present Romanesque Cathedral was rebuilt after 1156 when the Norman Guglielmo il Malo destroyed it. During the second half of the 18th century the church was completely transformed being enriched with stucco works and marble decorations according to the baroque taste; these ornaments were removed at the beginning of the 20th century. The Cathedral shows only one of the two original bell towers, the other one fell down in 1613; where the central nave meets the transept, it is possible to admire an high octagonal tambour on which a richly decorated dome is based with its beautiful Arabic ornaments. The salient façade is adorned with a sequence of little hanging arches which are based on caryatids marked by fantastic forms and with a rose window richly decorated in the arched lintel.

In the Cathedral Museum it is possible to see a precious illuminated scroll which dates back to the 11th century and which was used during the Easter liturgy. The Basilica of San Nicola is the main symbol of the city; it was erected in order to keep the Saint’s relics, arrived in Bari in 1087 and placed in the crypt only two years later, in 1089, when the Basilica was already finished and consecrated by Pope Urbano II. The upper church, consecrated in 1197, is one of the greatest masterpieces of Apulia’s Romanesque. The interior is characterized by a Basilical plan with three naves and a transept and it is possible to admire two unique pieces of the medieval sculpture: the ciborium with illustrated capitals and the bishop’s throne. In 1661 the truss ceiling of the central nave was covered by a golden wooden ceiling decorated with images related to the life of San Nicola; this beautiful work was realized by a local artist named Carlo Rosa, who came from Bitonto. The salient façade, adorned with pilasters and little hanging arches, is framed by two magnificent towers, one of which is called del Catapano.

In the old town, it is possible to visit the Romanesque churches of San Gregorio, San Giovanni Crisostomo, the monastery of Santa Scolastica and the church of the Vallisa. The Castello Normanno-Svevo is the main symbol of the civil power of the city; it was erected by Ruggero il Normanno in 1131, destroyed by Guglielmo il Malo in 1156 and rebuilt by Federico II. The castle is characterized by squared towers and a large and deep fossate. In 15th century Isabella D’Aragona and her daughter Bona Sforza, queen of Poland, transformed it in a Renaissance Palace. The legend says that this is the castle where Federico II met San Francesco coming back from the Holy Soil.

In the modern town it is possible to visit the municipal theatre Piccinni which was designed by the architect Niccolini and inaugurated in 1854, the theatre Margherita which was built at the beginning of 20th century as a sort of Liberty palafitte on the sea, the theatre Petruzzelli inaugurated in 1903, the palace of the Apulia’s Aqueduct, built in 1921, and the palace of the Province where it is possible to admire a rich picture gallery with works which date back to a long historical period which goes from Middle Ages until the Contemporary Age.