Trani

Trani, town and archiepiscopal see, Puglia (Apulia) regione, southeastern Italy. It lies along the Adriatic Sea, northwest of Bari city. Trani originated in Roman times and flourished under the Norman and Swabian (Hohenstaufen) kings of Sicily by means of its trade with the Middle East. Its Ordinamenta Maris (1063) is considered to be the first medieval maritime code of the Mediterranean Sea. The medieval part of the town is dominated by the castle, built (1233–49) by the Holy Roman emperor Frederick II; the 12th-century Ognissanti Church; the Palazzo Caccetta (1458); and the splendid Romanesque-Apulian Cathedral (begun 1094) dedicated to St. Peregrinus (Nicola Pellegrino), a young Greek pilgrim who died at Trani and was canonized by Pope Urban II. Inland from the medieval section is the modern town, and to the southeast, extending as far as the Colonna peninsula, is the garden city, a much-frequented summer vacation resort with an excellent beach.

Trani is noted for its wines (particularly moscato) and for its stone quarries. Marble is exported to Switzerland and Germany. There is also a furniture industry and some fishing. Pop. (2006 est.) mun., 53,485.