On 13 February 1503 thirteen Italian knights faced thirteen French in the Challenge of Barletta, and the victory — later sung by D'Azeglio — remains the town's pride, re-enacted every year. Watching over the port stands the Colossus: nearly five metres of bronze Roman emperor, among the largest late-antique statues to survive.
The square castle on the sea, the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral and the gallery of De Nittis — the local painter beloved by the Impressionists — complete a serious, untouristy sea town. At Canne della Battaglia, within its territory, Hannibal defeated Rome in 216 BC.
Near Barletta
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
