Trani Travel Guide

  Your ItalyItalia guide for Trani … Gianpaolo Nanula

My Trani…

"Trani is a charming, chic and bright city. Like other cities along Apulia's coast, Trani has maintained a tight bond with the sea, best demonstrated by its lively port zone that is crowded by the coloured houses of Trani's historical town centre. Trani's buildings are made from the local stone, a tender white limestone that shades from rose to orange according to the height of the sun.

From the distance, the shape of Trani's cathedral stands out, the pride and symbol of a rich historical city. Within the city, it's a pleasure to get lost amidst Trani's mix of noble buildings, called "palazzetti", stone paved roads, alleys and courtyards. Almost hidden in the centre is the ancient Jewish ghetto, with the oldest working Synagogue of Europe. It's not easy to find, but well worth it if you can!”

Read more on Gianpolo and his Travel Guides on Apulia

  How to arrive at Trani

       Trani Attractions

       What to see and do

1. Majestic Cathedral of the city, a unique masterpiece of Romanesque style in Apulia and considered one of the most beautiful churches of South Italy.
2. Castello Svevo
3. Church of Ognisanti
4. Baroque church of Santa Teresa
5. Monastery of Colonna
6. Jewish ghetto and Synagogue of Scolanova
7. Visit to the Diocesan Museum
8. Walk through the Municipal Villa to the "bastioni"
9. A day-trip to Castel del Monte
10. A seafood dinner in front of the Mediterranean Sea

Trani is one of the main centres near Bari, Apulia's capital, on the eastern coast of the region. Since 2009 this city was named one of the principal towns of the province together with neighbouring Barletta and Andria and thus the acronym for the area, BAT (Barletta, Andria and Trani).

By plane: The city is well connected with the airport of Bari Palese which is about 35 km away.

By car: Take the "Strada Statale" SS N.16, from the north take the A14 freeway till the exit Andria-Barletta, or the same freeway from the south looking out for the Trani - Corato exit.

Other: Trani is well connected with nearby cities via bus and the city has a modern railway station with trains that stop here from many parts of Italy.

  Events at Trani

June
Trani's main event is a celebration in honor of Patron Saint Nicola Pellegrino, not to be confused with the famous Saint Nichola (Santa Clause) of Bari. At the beginning of June the city is adorned for festivity with typical lighting displays, called "luminarie", and during the following days there are many cheerful and lively street parades. Many other evocative religious festivals also take place in Trani during the week leading up to Easter.

May
Close to the heart of many locals is the "Cult of the Crucifix" which began when a crucifix miraculously arrived at the city from the sea. This event is celebrated on the 3rd of May with a procession of local fishing boats especially decorated for the occasion.

  Trani's Typical Food

Octopus salad and "Focaccia Pugliese"
Trani's typical dishes are a metaphorical wedding between earth and sea. The fish, always fresh, is sold directly from the fishermen on the dock of the port and calls out for the frying pan! All Trani's seafood has its own dish but the octopus in particular, the "polpo" , is cooked in several ways, boiled, grilled or raw, and is a local specialty served as "carpaccio" or octopus salad.

King of the table is also Puglia's extra pure olive oil, with an intense smell and a unique taste and produced in the surrounding countryside while "focaccia pugliese" is also very famous, made up of flour and potatoes with tomato and oregano, and best eaten fresh and warm direct from one of Trani's many bakeries.

Local wines
Moscato of Trani
Many years ago, the word "trani" was used as a reference in Milan for taverns mainly frequented by drunks, where people could drink a particular wine produced in Apulia. This wine was considered poor in quality but was sold in big quantities and was generically called "the Trani". Those times are long gone and instead, today's Apulia region produces increasingly renowned wine labels that include the "Moscato di Trani", a delicious white wine with a sweet liqueur taste, mostly used to accompany desserts and the typical local almond sweets.

  Giampaolo's Spotlight

Trani's Castle
The Castle of Trani was built in 1233 by Roman Emperor Frederick II of Svevia, and it was in this castle that the wedding of the Emperor's son, Manfredi, to Elena, daughter of the ruler of Epirus, was celebrated. Although wedded for political reasons, the marriage was a happy one and bore many children. Dante Alighieri, Italy's famous poet, described the blonde Manfredi as a man of noble aspect and his wife, Elena, as a beautiful princess. Princess Elena became a widow prematurely, however, when Manfredi was killed in the battle of Benevento, 1266, fighting against the new King of Naples, Charles I of Anjou. Both Elena and her sons planned to escape French capture by sea but were detained by a storm. Lodged in the Castle of Trani overnight, Elena was taken prisoner by locals wanting to avoid problems with the new rulers and thus ended up trapped in the same castle where she'd celebrated as a happy bride.