The Castle of Trani, built since the 1233 A.C., is one of the most significant fortification erected in Apulia (South Italy) by the Swabian Emperor Frederick II. Located on the North side of the historical waterfront of Trani, the castle was built in a strategic position for the protection and defence of the entrance to the port and of the access roads of the town.

The morphology of the castle can be interpreted as the results of three main constructive phases, historically identified with Swabian, Renaissance and Nineteenth-century periods.

During the Swabian Period (about XIII century), the Castle was a strategic military architecture for the defence and the domination of the city. Since its erection – witnessed by the inscriptions placed on the top of the two ancient access portals on the West side - the castle had a quadrangular plant, bordered on the North side by the sea and on the remaining perimeter by a deep and large flooded moat (Fig. 4). Its large central courtyard was protected by four fortified square towers located at the corners.

The Renaissance Age (XVI century) marked the passage to the Angevin-Spanish domination with significant interventions on the castle (Fig. 5): the fortification was deeply modernized in order to cope with the Saracen raids in the Mediterranean Sea. Under the direction of Ferdinando De Alarcon, administrator of the castles of the kingdom of Sicily, the South side of the castle was fortified (1533) and two bastions were built on the Southwest and Southeast corners (1540-41). The first one had a “bec d’aperon” shape, while the second one was quadrangular.

During the Nineteenth-century period, the castle was converted to a prison. Since the 1831 it came under the control of the Interior Ministry of the Reign, by the order of the King Ferdinand II of Bourbon. The fortification was sensibly refurbished between the 1832 and 1848, in order to adapt the structure to the new function (Fig. 6): new fabrics were built to house offices, cells, woodworking and laundry, among the others; the central courtyard and the maritime front were equipped by wall walks; the clock tower was positioned at the East access of the castle close to Manfredi square, as well as the stone drawbridge. After the abandonment of the structure, in the 1976 the Superintendency of Cultural Heritage of Apulia started managing and restoring the castle, giving to this fortified complex the actual architectural and functional configuration.