Barletta - Il Castello

The Phoenicians, the Greeks and the Romans have been here. In 216 BC, during the second Punic war, the Battle of Canne was fought nearby which led to the heavy defeat of the Romans by Hannibal's army. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the area was taken over by the Normans, who built a fortress here. During the time of the Crusades, Barletta became an important gathering point for the armies of knights. The city had its heyday under Frederick II, who in 1228 announced the sixth crusade during the Diet held here. Following the Muslim conquest in the Holy Land, the Archbishops of Nazareth took permanent refuge in Barletta in 1327.

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The "Castello di Barletta" is a quadrangular construction with bastion-towers at the corners. It was initially erected in the 10th century by the Normans as a typical motte structure. During the Crusade period, it was used as a hostel for soldiers leaving for the Holy Land. It was upgraded and enlarged substantially under the reign of Frederick II between 1225 and 1228. The castle was later further expanded under the House of Anjou, when Barletta became an important centre of Aragonese-Spanish control in the area, in 1527. In 1867 it was purchased by the Municipality of Barletta and was converted into an arms depot and a prison. Now it is home to the municipal library, the civic and art museum.