In order to understand the complexity of the city of Barletta, we should start with the Swabian Castle
, the result of an extraordinary stratification carried out by the different dynasties that have succeeded it, starting from the Norman period when it was built as a fortress for defensive purposes. During the Swabian, Angevin, Aragonese and Spanish periods, it underwent various alterations that have returned it to the present day in a form that makes it truly admirable. It houses the municipal library.
A few dozen metres from the Castle, united by the white stone that characterises the main structures in the area, stands the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore, the city’s most important building of worship, which appears as a complex, the 
result of the fusion of two distinct bodies: the front one, clearly Romanesque, and the rear one from the Gothic era.
In the maze of alleyways that wind their way from the Cathedral, the church of Sant’Andrea is ‘hidden’, linking two different street levels and hiding like a treasure chest a multitude of extremely evocative elements, in which the smell of time draws those who enter into it into a remote past that has passed there.
Another religious structure worth visiting is the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, which represents a connection with the Holy Land as it was a transit destination for pilgrims heading there and for the crusaders who sailed to Jerusalem from the port of Barletta.
Also the result of many alterations, it is certainly worth a visit, also because right on the side of the church stands the one who is considered the symbol par excellence of the city, namely Heraclius or Colossus of Barletta. There are various legends about him, but what is certain is that the people of Barletta have always felt good-naturedly protected by this 4.5-metre bronze statue with a reassuring and proud air. It is probably Emperor Theodosius II, which came here because it was removed by the Venetians during the Sack of Constantinople in 1204 and abandoned due to a storm that made transport risky.
A unicum among historical palaces is certainly represented by Palazzo della Marra
, a Renaissance building of exquisite workmanship, in which the main balcony facing the façade and the rear loggia facing the sea are particularly interesting. Since 2007, the palace has housed a picture gallery of the works of the painter De Nittis, who lived in the second half of the 19th century and died prematurely, later donated by his wife Lèontine to the city that was the birthplace of the man.
The Cantina della Disfida is the evocative place where, in 1503, amidst glasses of wine – perhaps a few too many – in the middle of a banquet set up in honour of the French, who had been defeated by the Spanish, someone ‘dared’ to compare the French to the Italians. The knight La Motte, not liking the comparison, issued a challenge and on 13 February 13 Italian knights clashed with an equal number of French knights, who came out the losers. This event provided D’Azeglio with the inspiration to write the historical novel ‘La Disfida di Barletta’ in 1833.
The Curci theatre, located right in the city centre, opposite the Palazzo di Città, is not only an appreciable cultural container, but also a work of outstanding beauty.
In terms of food and wine, there is a wealth and variety of products, ranging from fish to meat, including excellent Parmesan of eggplants, stuffed tomatoes, baked pasta with fresh tomatoes, friselle. All, however, always based on lightness and taste.
Fish is offered both raw and cooked, in different variations. As for meat, in Barletta and in Apulia in general, there is a strong consumption of horse meat, proposed in rolls or sausages and other tasty forms.
In the first courses, the undisputed queen is orecchietta, seasoned with sauce and accompanied by a couple of brasciole (horse meat rolls), or with the classic turnip tops, up to the less typical and more experimental, but no less appreciable forms. Equally varied and valuable is the wine production