castello, normanno

The Castello Normanno-Svevo in Gioia del Colle is a Norman castle in the historic centre, built by the Normans in the 12th century on earlier Byzantine and Roman foundations. Its most notable feature is the large courtyard with a central cistern, and the thick, irregular stone walls that incorporate fragments of ancient Roman columns. The castle was later expanded under Frederick II, who added the elegant Gothic windows and the grand hall. Since December 2014, it has been managed by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, first through the Polo Museale della Puglia, then from December 2019 by the Direzione Regionale Musei. The site offers a tangible sense of the layers of Puglia's history, from Roman times through Norman and Swabian rule.

Description via source. Coordinates and heritage data from the Atika atlas.