Know as “The Pearl of Puglia”, Trani is a really picturesque and evocative fishing port, between Bari and Barletta, and a lovely little town with charming historic centre and lots of laneways to explore.
Start to explore Trani from the Cathedral of San Nicola Pellegrino, one of Puglia’s most beautiful and unique Romanesque church. The cathedral was started in 1097 above the older church Santa Maria, but work on the cathedral was slow going and it was not finished until the middle of the 13th century.
Its wonderful location by the harbour with the creamy white limestone and lofty proportions emphasize the deep blue of the Adriatic Sea.
The facade is soberly decorated with a monofora and an eye, positioned above three windows, arranged in line. The lower part of the facade is ornamented by a series of blind arches with a bronze door by Barisano da Trani. The bell-tower was the work of Nicolaus Sacerdos et Protomagister and it was built in the 13th century.
Heading about 100m west of the cathedral, following the sea wall, one comes to Trani’s other architectural marvel: Emperor Frederick II’s castle, built in 1233. Rising directly from the sea, whose waves crash against its walls, the castle has a classic quadrangular form, with robust square towers at each corner.
Trani is full of beautiful architecture, such as Palazzo Cacetta in Via Ognissanti, which is one of the few examples of 15th century Gothic building in Puglia. Close to this mansion is the church of the Templar Knights, Chiesa di Ognissanti, which was built in the first half of the 12th century in the courtyard of the Knights’ hospital.