The Swabian Castle of Bari is a living testimony of the **crossroads of cultures** and important personalities that have succeeded one another over the centuries in Puglia, among them Isabella of Aragon and Bona Sforza.

Bari is the place par excellence where traditions and intense flavors live in their most genuine expression. A unique offshore and a suggestive old town make Bari a cradle of art and history that is truly impossible to forget. It is the capital of Puglia, historically a great maritime centre that united East and West. Nowadays, it is a very lively port and university centre. Bari is the second largest city in Southern Italy and so rich in art, history, and culinary tradition that it transforms every visit into an unforgetable memory.

Bari

The ticket is free for children under six years old

REDUCTIONS

ATTENTION

For guided tours in any foreign language, please contact the call center by phone or by email. 

GUIDED TOURS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

MEETING POINT

Individuals - Families - Groups adults / children - People with motor, cognitive and sensory disabilities.

TYPE OF USERS TO WHOM THE VISIT IS ADDRESSED

We ask you to respect the departure time of the guided tour to ensure everyone has a smooth visit experience.

TOUR DEPARTURE TIMES

The Swabian Castle of Bari is a living testimony of the **crossroads of cultures** and important personalities that have succeeded one another over the centuries in Puglia, among them Isabella of Aragon and Bona Sforza.


Visit it together with an **expert guide** , who will be able to show you the wonders of this place!


ATTENTION for the INDIVIDUAL fare it is required to purchase a minimum of 2 tickets. 

SCHOOL GROUPS

FAMILIES 

INDIVIDUAL VISITORS

GROUPS 

VISITORS WITH DISABILITIES

large_Castello_Svevo_Bari.jpg

medium_Castello_Svevo_Bari.jpg

small_Castello_Svevo_Bari.jpg

thumbnail_Castello_Svevo_Bari.jpg

Castello_Svevo_Bari.jpg

large_Castello_Svevo_copertina.jpg

medium_Castello_Svevo_copertina.jpg

small_Castello_Svevo_copertina.jpg

thumbnail_Castello_Svevo_copertina.jpg

Castello_Svevo_copertina.jpg

Bari Swabian Castle Guided Tour

The castle is a living testimony to the intermingling of cultures and important personalities that succeeded one another here over the centuries, reinforcing its role as a vantage point overlooking the Mediterranean and a cradle for trade.


**The Swabian Castle of Bari: symbol of conquest**

Symbolic building of the city and of the history of Bari, with its imposing trapezoidal structure stands in the oldest part of the city, between the Cathedral and the docks. Commissioned by Ruggero II to **seal the Norman conquest** of Bari, it was built in 1131 on a pre-existing settlement from the Byzantine era. Severely damaged during the reign of William the Bad, it was rebuilt by Frederick II of Swabia in the first decades of the 13th century. Signs of the intervention ordered by the ***Stupor Mundi*** can still be seen today in the majestic entrance portal, in the atrium and in the loggia between architraves, cornices, corbels and capitals. In the second half of the 13th century, King Charles I of Anjou initiated the renovation of the north wing, adding three elegant Gothic mullioned windows facing on to the sea. 

**Women in power**

The castle had its heyday during the 16th century with Isabella of Aragon and her daughter Bona Sforza. The two women transformed the austere military structure into a **refined Renaissance residence** with both a defensive and residential function. After adapting the exterior to be able to respond to the new assault techniques and the use of firearms (the moat and massive outer walls were built), they introduced the lifestyle of a **Renaissance court** inside, attracting men of letters, poets and artists. The architectural renovation can be seen in the rearrangement of the inner courtyard, the Palatine Chapel and the construction of the **scenic double flight of stairs** leading to the finely decorated rooms on the *piano nobile* (the main floor used by aristrocracy). 

**The legacy**

After being used as a prison during the Bourbon era and a barracks in the 20th century, the castle was taken over by the public administration and became the headquarters of the Apulia and Basilicata Monuments and Galleries Superintendency. 
The interior spaces house **various collections**: Renaissance-era ceramics found in the midden of the castle, unrelated stone materials (stonework transported by ice far from its place of origin) and jewellery and the wooden models of the castles of Bari, Barletta and Monopoli dating back to the mid-eighteenth century.
The two **excavation areas on the ground floor** contain structures of the settlement and a small Byzantine church, probably that of St. Apollinaris, with an adjoining burial ground.

**The Gipsoteca**

Inaugurated and opened to the public in 2011, the Gipsoteca contains an extraordinary collection of plaster casts of Puglia's most important monuments and places of worship. The casts were made by sculptors Pasquale Duretti and Mario Sabatelli on the occasion of the Regional Ethnographic Exhibition organised in Rome in 1911 to celebrate the **50th anniversary of the Unification of Italy**.



Bari Swabian Castle

A walk through history with emperors and queens

Guided Tour

Ostia antica

Ostia Antica Archaeological Park it’s one of the biggest and most important archaeological areas of Italy, capable of offering an authentic immersion in an ancient Roman city surrounded by lush mediterranean nature. 

Ostia Antica

Take a break immersed in the history of one of the largest archaeological parks in the world! The Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica is waiting for you!

Scavi Cafè

Taormina

Taormina, Pearl of the Ionian Sea, it’s one of the places where modern élite tourism was born. Here nature, art and history encounter: the beauty of the landscape combines with the memory of all Mediterranean cultures. 


Taormina Ancient Theatre

Immersed in the natural beauty of the Ancient Theatre of Taormina, every break at the Belvedere Café becomes a memorable experience. 

Belvedere Cafè

Syracuse

Simbolo dell’espansione urbana di Siracusa ai tempi del tiranno Gelone, Neapolis è diventata oggi un’oasi protetta, con un Parco Acheologico immerso in uno straordinario scenario naturale. L’emozione di passeggiare in un teatro dove Eschilo metteva in scena le sue opere 2.500 anni fa.

Neapolis Archaeological Park - Momento Caffetteria

A unique place to take a break in the heart of the Archaeological Park of Neapolis

Momento Cafè 

A symbol of Syracuse's urban expansion at the time of the tyrant Gelon, Neapolis has now become a protected oasis, with an Archaeological Park located in an extraordinary natural setting. The thrill of walking through a theatre where Aeschylus staged his plays 2,500 years ago.


Neapolis Archaeological Park - Momento Restaurant

An oasis of peace where you can taste the traditional Sicilian dishes with your gaze turned towards the beauty of the Archaeological Park of Neapolis

Bari Swabian Castle Guided Tour

Notices(6)

Description

Duration

Where

Privacy Statement