A beautiful sunset in Trani

The Cathedral, the main monument of Trani, is dedicated to St. Nicholas the Pilgrim, a Greek who died in Trani in 1094 after various vicissitudes and a long journey from Greece. His mortal remains, temporarily deposited in the Cathedral of Santa Maria della Scala, became the object of veneration, for the entire town community.
The cathedral is described as the "Queen of the Cathedrals", for its position (it rises near the sea) for its size (not many churches in Apulia are so high), for the beauty of its shapes and the color of its limestone. It is without doubt one of the finest examples of Apulian Romanesque architecture and one of the most magnificent churches in South of Italy, bearing witness to the splendor of Trani in medieval times. In 1143 the relics of S. Nicholas the pilgrim were solemnly moved to the now finished crypt, dedicated therefore to the new Patron Saint.

The Castle of Trani's current appearance is the result of the changes it has undergone during the course of its history. These changes can be summarized in the three basic moments, consisting of

• the medieval foundation
• the sixteenth century modification dictated by the use of firearms
• the far- reaching nineteenth- century rearrangement aimed at turning it into a prison. (some windows still have the iron grilles dated back to the prison period).

Recent restoration work makes it possible to see its three fundamental phases. The castle of Trani is one of the most important and best preserved of the castle built by Frederick II of Swabia as part of a fortification program of his favorite southern Italian regnum.

During the late Middle Ages the city of Trani was home to a significant minority population of Jews. This community used to live in the Jewesh quarter where there were four synagogues. It reached a highpoint during the thirteenth century, when under the protection of the progressive King Frederic II , it combined succesful commercial activities with the presence of noted religious scholars. Today the Giudecca is a preserved area with streets, houses and synagogues dating back to the period between the tenth and fifteenth centuries. The two largest synagogues are: The Sant'Anna or Great Synagogue that stands on Via La Giudea and The Scolanova. The inspiration of the design of the first one was the Byzantine churches, with a main hall almost perfectly square, enclosed by four immense arches that support a high dome. The Scolanova was probably built later and because of its smaller size, it was not intended as the gathering place for the entire community.

We suggest you this restaurant, one of the best ..we are sure, you''ll like it..

We suggest you to stay in this splendid hotel, very elegant, luxurious and dedicated to a refined and demanding clientele.

Here you can visit the modern oil mill and after you ''ll have the opportunity to take a wonderful bike ride in the surrounding countryside.

We suggest you a walk and to take some street food..

Good night and have good dreams..