Barletta Castle, Barletta, Italy

Barletta Castle was initially erected in the 10th century by the Normans as a typical motte and bailey structure. During the Crusade period, it was a 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. This corresponds to the period in which he launched a crusade from here, the Sixth Crusade.

The castle was later expanded under the House of Anjou, when Barletta became an important centre of Aragonese-Spanish control in the area, in 1527. Charles had the building expanded again and the four massive bastions added to create the present fortress form. In 1915 the fortress, then in use as a barracks and military store, was bombarded by the Austro-Hungarian scout cruiser SMS Helgoland. In September 1943 it was the setting of an Italian military defence unit against a German army.

To enter the castle you cross a stone bridge leading to the entrance. Through the doorway, then, you have access to different areas, such as the square courtyard, the ancient seat of the guard and the chapel in which the castle were buried. From the courtyard, you can hop on to various scales, with which you can reach the top floor or the stands.

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User Reviews

Eti Pena (EtiPena) (4 years ago)
old but gold castello, I like these castel is amazing.

A R (4 years ago)
The castle of Barletta, located in the Apulian city of the same name, is the architectural result of various stratifications due to the succession of different dynasties in power, which took place from the 11th century to the 18th century. Once a fortress for defensive purposes, surrounded by the sea that occupied the moat all around the castle and isolated it from potential enemy attacks, it is a strategic point in city life as well as an important urban cornerstone. [1] [2] [3] It houses the Municipal Library, [4] the Civic Museum and a conference and exhibition hall.

Tom B (5 years ago)
Great bit of history that's tucked away in Bari! Unfortunately due to Covid the visit times are limited and the amount there is to see is scaled back but contact before you go and they will offer you as much info as possible...the staff are really friendly and helpful!

Zvonko Eder (5 years ago)
Very interesting place.

Matthew Daniels (5 years ago)
Nice castle with several different exhibits of town history, modern, and classical art.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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