The visit to the imposing fortress surrounded by the moat that dominates the historic center of Bari is a millennium-long walk in the company of great emperors and queens.
The central nucleus is of Byzantine-Norman origin, but was completely transformed by Frederick II between 1233 and 1240, restored by Charles of Anjou in the following century, while the escarpment bulwarks with corner towers were added in the Aragonese period during the XVI century.
When the Aragonese donated it to the ducal Sforza family, the fortress was enlarged and embellished by the intervention of two women, mother and daughter: Isabella of Aragon, widow of Gian Galeazzo Sforza, Duchess of Bari and Bona Sforza. The castle became the seat of a court that had nothing to envy to those of the lordships of the North. We owe them the spectacular double flight of stairs that connects the ground floor to the halls of the main floor.
During the Bourbon domination, however, the castle began a long period of decline and abandonment, during which it was used as a prison and barracks. Only recently, in 2017, after long restoration and enhancement works, the castle was opened to the public as a museum.