When it’s summer the walls of the castle look whiter.
When I took these photographs it was August at dawn and, with nobody around, colors seemed accentuated, so the whites looked whiter and the greens greener. The magnificence of the castle stood magnified beneath the new sun and wrapped by the warmth of the early day.
It sits in the city of Barletta since the 10th century, built by the Normans and enlarged firstly under the reign of Frederick II (about 1225) and secondly during the Aragonese-Spanish period (about 1530). Its four lanceolate and pentagonal bastions were added by the House of Anjou.
When I lived in Barletta I used to go to the castle quite often, because it hosted (still does) the Public Library. I don’t think there can be a better location for a library than a 10th century castle, as it is the best way to breathe forever life into it!
Everytime I’m there I love to tour it, you have the best panorama of both the city and the sea from up ubove, and you can use the garden that surrounds the castle as a a special book-corner-with-a-view. I appreciate the fact that this castle is not just a tourist-ish object, but the beating heart of the entire community. It is taken care of, by everybody. It is like a mini and special city into the city, filled with the joy of the children that use it as a playground, the stories of the ancient lives of old people who meet there everyday at the same bench and the peacefulness of the curious observers.
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