Barletta

Barletta is a city in Apulia, southeastern Italy, on the Adriatic coast, serving as co-seat of the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani alongside Andria and Trani. Part of ancient Cannae lies within its territory, site of Hannibal's decisive 216 BC victory over Roman forces, and the city was a crucial staging point for Crusaders in the Middle Ages, later renowned for the 1503 Challenge of Barletta, in which Italian knights defeated French prisoners of war in a famous joust. As of 2017 the population was about 94,700, and the city holds the Colossus of Barletta, a bronze Roman emperor statue roughly 4 meters tall and the largest surviving statue from the late Roman Empire, alongside a Norman castle upgraded by Frederick II between 1225 and 1228 and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maggiore. Its economy today centers on cement and concrete manufacturing, and its notable residents include 1980 Olympic 200 meter gold medalist Pietro Mennea.