Conversano castle
Conversano Castle (Conversion Castle) is one of the main sights of the Italian city that holds the same name. Conversano is located in the southeast coast of Italy, within the region known as Puglia.
The castle is only 30 kilometers southeast of Bari and only 7 km from the Adriatic coast. The very castle Conversano was built to the highest point in town on a hill, affording a crystalline view of the entire city area and coastline.
In 1054, Lord Norman Goeffrey received the title Earl of Conversano and the importance of the fortress and the settlement gradually increased, and became the capital of a large area adjacent to major towns such as Lecce and Nardò.
The medieval castle itself was built during the reign of Norman - Hohenstaufen in the Kingdom of Sicily.
It is believed that the castle today was apparent more in the sixth century during the so-called Gothic Wars, but officially the medieval castle appears on the dominant hill above the village during the 11th century.
The emblematic of the castle is the massive oval tower which was added to the structure in the 15th century by Giulio Antonio Acquaviva.
In general the architecture of the Conversano is limited to the rectangular architectural design with four observation towers, which have excellent views of the main four directions.
Castle Conversano, as visitors can see it today is the result of many renovations and restoration works throughout the centuries. As a result, it has turned it from a fighting and defensive fortress into a nice mansion.
In 1800 the castle was already fitted with windows which today give the Castle a square look. These details of the facade of the palace are also the result of long architectural changes.
Inside the castle Conversano you can see several interesting rooms, the bedroom Giangirolamo II Acquaviva d'Aragona makes quite an impression. You can still see the beautiful frescoes, which are the work of Paolo Finoglio. Now open to public visits are only a few rooms of the palace, because the rest are privately owned.
