Barletta

Barletta is a town of 92,067 inhabitants in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, in Puglia, Italy. It is the capital of its province.

The municipality covers 146.91 km², with a density of 627 inhabitants per km².

The nearest airport is Bari (BRI), about 45 km away as the crow flies. Read our guide to the airport.

The Colossus and the Challenge

Barletta, on the Adriatic coast of northern Puglia, shares the role of provincial capital with Andria and Trani. It is famous for a giant bronze statue and for the Disfida di Barletta, a 1503 duel in which thirteen Italian knights defeated thirteen French ones.

What to see

The Colossus of Barletta, a bronze statue of a Roman emperor almost 5 metres tall, stands beside the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. The Swabian castle, rebuilt by the Aragonese with four bastions, houses the civic museum. The Romanesque cathedral, the Cantina della Sfida, where the challenge started, and the Pinacoteca De Nittis, dedicated to the impressionist painter born here, complete the visit. The long beach of Ponente is right next to the old town.

Food

Orecchiette with turnip tops, raw seafood, focaccia barese, burrata from nearby Andria and Nero di Troia wine.

Around Barletta

Trani and its cathedral by the sea, Andria and Castel del Monte, Canosa di Puglia with its Daunian tombs, the battlefield of Canne, the salt pans of Margherita di Savoia and Bisceglie. Bari airport is 45 minutes away.

Barletta on the map

Nearby towns

All towns in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani →