Marchesale Castriota Palace

The Marchesale Castriota Palace stands not far from the Church of the Virgin of Carmelo with the adjoining former Augustinian convent, in whose square the big concert of the Notte della Taranta takes place every year.\n\nThe palace was built as a defensive structure, as the imposing walls surrounding its large garden, the patrol walkways and the watchtowers at the corners suggest, commissioned by Giorgio Castriota-Scanderbeg to the architect Francesco Manuli.\n\nOn the facade stands out the majestic portal adorned with two columns topped by a balcony, and the windows decorated with lunettes or pediments that decrease in size as they approach the center, giving the observer the optical illusion of a much larger building.\n\nIn its golden age the palace housed a precious and rich picture gallery with works by Domenichino, Veronese and Tintoretto, now kept in Molfetta. The structure is currently under restoration.