Barletta (Puglia)

Barletta is a city, comune and capoluogo together with Andria and Trani of Apulia, in southeastern Italy. The city's territory belongs to the Valle dell'Ofanto, indeed, the Ofanto river crosses the countryside and forms the border between the territory of Barletta and that of Margherita di Savoia. The mouth of the river is in the territory of Barletta. The area of Barletta also includes part of the battlefield of Cannae. This is a very important archeological site, remembered for the major battle in 216 B.C. between the Romans and the Carthaginians, won by Hannibal. The site has been recognized as Città d'Arte (city of art) of Apulia in 2005 for the beautiful architecture. Cannae flourished in the Roman period and then after a series of debilitating Saracen attacks, was finally destroyed by the Normans and then abandoned in the early Middle Ages. The principal monuments of the city are the Castle, the Colossus of Barletta, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore.