Considered middle class and commercial, this is more than just the City of the Challenge: from the sea one is faced with the Castello Federiciano, symbol of the reign of Frederick II of Swabia and of all the others that followed, a place of coronations, proclamations of the law and the departure point for many Crusades.  These Crusades, of great power, were blessed in the Holy Sepulchre followed by their adieu to the imposing bronze of Eraclio, a colossal figure that became the symbol of the city.  Then comes the almighty challenge of 1503, celebrated with great pomp each year and an important drawing card for tourists; the Inn of the Challenge is still there to be admired today, but French and Italians alike reserve their challenges to soccer and leave the remains of the past to be merely admired.  France is once again visible in Barletta in the masterpieces of Giuseppe de Nittis; today on exhibition within the extraordinary Palazzo della Mara (XVI Century), an obligatory stop in your itinerary, together with the Romanesque Cathedral, the church of S. Andrea and the Purgatory Church (XVIII Century). ...