Barletta, 23 km from Villa Gioia, is an ancient town with some interesting monuments to see. One of these are the Cathedral dedicated to S. Maria Maggiore, built in 1140 in Romanesque style and the Castle, of Norman origin but rebuilt by the Swabians in 1234. Inside the Castle it is possible to visit the Cantina della Disfida, a wine cellar where, according to legend, the French captain La Motte challenged the Italian Ettore Fieramosca.
One of the main churches of Barletta is the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher.
The basilica was built on the remains of the ancient medieval basilica, which was supported by the ancient Hospital of the Pilgrims and dates back to the period between the end of the eleventh century and the beginning of the twelfth century.
But the real reason why Barletta deserves to be visited is the Giuseppe De Nittis Pinacoteca located in the magnificent Palazzo Marra, an aristocratic residence dated 1500, originally owened by the Orsini and then in 1600 by Della Marra family.
The palace with its beautiful baroque facade and the large lodge, richly decorated and consisting of five arches and vaults, houses an extraordinary collection of about 200 artworks by the artist Giuseppe De Nittis from Barletta.
Exponent of the impressionism, he worked as an artist in France in connection with famous artists such as Degas, Manet, Morisot and Caillebotte and soon he became one of the greatest interpreters in the European art scene of the 19th century.
Photo by Achille83, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
