The Cathedral of Trani is dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta. It is probably the most striking and astonishing romanesque building in Apulia. Developed vertically, with a slender profile, it stands right on the sea. For sailors and for enemies in fact it had to be one of the most visible and recognizable buildings of the Apulian coast.
Consecrated in 1143, it was built on an earlier church, which was erected in turn on the remains of a 4th-century cult building, still visible below the crypt. The main feature is the high bell tower (59 m), literally leaning against the right nave, with an unusual arc at the base, that allows passage.
