Barletta

Barletta
Comune
Comune di Barletta
View of the cathedral.
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Barletta
Barletta Location of Barletta in Italy Show map of Italy Barletta Barletta (Apulia) Show map of Apulia
Coordinates: 41°19′N 16°17′E / 41.317°N 16.283°E / 41.317; 16.283
Country	Italy
Region	Apulia
Province	Barletta-Andria-Trani (BT)
Frazioni	Montaltino, Fiumara, Canne della Battaglia
Government
• Mayor	Cosimo Cannito (Centre-right)
Area [1]
• Total	149.35 km2 (57.66 sq mi)
Elevation	15 m (49 ft)
Population  (31 December 2017)[2]
• Total	94,477
• Density	630/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Demonym	Barlettani
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	76121
Dialing code	0883
Patron saint	St. Roger of Cannae, SS. Madonna dello Sterpeto
Saint day	December 30
Website	Official website

Barletta (Italian pronunciation: [barˈletta] ^ⓘ; Salentino: Varrétte or Barlétte) is a city and former comune in Apulia, in southeastern Italy. Barletta is the capoluogo, together with Andria and Trani, of the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. It has a population of around 94,700 citizens.

The city's territory belongs to the Valle dell'Ofanto. 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 BCE between the Romans and the Carthaginians, won by Hannibal. The site has been recognised as Città d'Arte (city of art) of Apulia in the 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.

Barletta is home to the Colossus of Barletta, a bronze statue, representing a Roman Emperor (perhaps Theodosius II). This statue, called "Eraclio" by the inhabitants of Barletta, is about 4 metres (13 feet) tall, and remains the biggest statue that survives from the late Roman Empire (i.e. the Roman Empire after Constantine). According to a local folk story, Eraclio saved the city from a Saracen attack. Seeing the Saracen ships approaching Barletta's coast, Eraclio waited for them on the sea shore. Here Eraclio acted as if he was crying so the Saracens asked him why he was sad and Eraclio answered that he was sad because he was the smallest among Barletta's inhabitants and so everybody made fun of him. The Saracens thought that Barletta's inhabitants were all giants so left the coast, fearing to face them.

In 1503 Barletta was the location of the disfida di Barletta ("Joust of Barletta"), a battle during which 13 Italian knights commanded by Ettore Fieramosca challenged and defeated an equal number of French knights who were at the time prisoners of war, in a joust held near Andria.^[3] This episode was documented in 1833 by Massimo d'Azeglio, who wrote the novel "Ettore Fieramosca o la Disfida di Barletta". In the book the author regards this episode as one of the earliest manifestations of Italian national pride.

The city at the time was fairly loosely besieged by French forces, and occupied by a Spanish army under the command of Gonzalo de Cordoba the 'Gran Capitan'.

Barletta has one gold medal for military valour and another one for civil valour, for its resistance to an incursion of German Fallschirmjäger who destroyed the port in order to prevent its falling intact into the hands of the advancing British Eighth Army during World War II.