Guided tour of Barletta, city of the Challenge 3h

Let yourself be guided by our expert tour guide to discover the beautiful Barletta, on a three-hour tour that will touch all the most interesting sites of this city of medieval origins known as the " Disfida”, for a famous duel that took place in the sixteenth century between 13 Italian and as many French knights.

The tour includes a stop in the historic city centre, with a visit to the medieval castle and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore.

You won't miss a visit to theCantina della Disfida,where the famous duel took place, the scene of the declaration of challenge between the two groups.

The tour will begin at the medieval castle, this extraordinary and majestic construction overlooking the coast, dating back to the 11th century, built for defensive purposes during the Norman domination and enlarged five centuries later during the Spanish domination.

The castle preserves interesting sculptures and bas-reliefs, among these it will also be possible to admire a bust in local limestone representing Emperor Frederick II Hohenstaufen of Swabia from the 12th century.

Our guide will then take you to visit the Cantina della Disfida, also known by the name of Casa del Veleno, in which the aforementioned challenge was launched in the year 1503 which ended with the victory of the Italian knights.

This pleasant tour among the beauties of Puglia will continue with the largest Cathedral of the city, the one dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, built in the 12th century.

The guide will provide you with various notions on the artistic-architectural characteristics of the building which, if for the most part responds to the typical Apulian Romanesque construction style, has undergone the influence of the fourteenth-century Gothic style as regards its apse.

For those who want it, it will also be possible to go down into the basement to observe the remains of the early Christian church.

The last stop of our guided tour of Barletta will be the "Della Marra" palace which we will observe from the outside to appreciate the Baroque architectural style. Inside the palace contains the permanent exhibition of the great impressionist painter Giuseppe De Nittis and houses the bronze colossus representing the figure of Theodosius II, entitled "Heraclius".