Conversano

                                                                The Castle of Conversano

We are on a family holiday in Conversano, an interesting town of 26,000 people to the south of Bari in Puglia, Italy. Much of our time will be spent by the swimming pool, but first we will do some exploring.

The Castle was believed to exist during the Gothic War of the sixth century and underwent significant reconstruction by the Normans in the eleventh century. The interior of the castle hosts an art gallery exhibiting work by Neapolitan artist Paolo Domenico Finoglio: a series of dramatic canvasses spread over several rooms. There is also a museum of clothing elsewhere in the complex.

Leaving the main part of the Castle we turn right to go round to the other side of the building. 

It leads into a lively area with bars and restaurants, with one of the town gates: the Toll Gate of 1338.

On the right of the photo is the campanile of the Church and Monastery of San Benedetto. It is somewhat chaotic, but the cloisters are very attractive. This is the main entrance ...

... and here a section of the cloister.

We head through the Toll Gate and into the Piazza 20 Settembre, to be faced by the Town Hall.

We amble downhill and eventually emerge through another gateway, La Porte del Carmine.

It feels as though this is the end of the old town so we go back through the gate and loop back uphill. We emerge in front of the Cathedral: Santa Maria Assunta Basilica Minore. It seems to have had a recent refurbishment as the interior and exterior are in excellent shape.

This marked the end of our impromptu tour, but I will just add the wonderful Calvary of Santa Maria della Misericordia which dates from the 16th century and later alterations. It is on the edge of the town.