Conversano - the ancient city in the Italian region of Puglia, located 30 km south-east of Bari, 7 km from the Adriatic coast. This is where the Counts of Conversano stables, where they bred horses breed Napoletano. One of these horses, born in 1767, the year and bearing the name of Conversano, became the main stallions for the Lipizzaner breed.

The modern city has been inhabited since the Iron Age, when the tribes and iapyges pevketov founded on a hill settlement called Norba. By the 6th century BC it has become a thriving trading city, which strongly influenced by nearby Greek colonies. In the 268th year BC Norbu captured by the Romans, and seven centuries later, when the Visigoths invaded the peninsula, the city was abandoned.

The new city, which appeared on the ruins of Norba, became known in the mid-11th century, when the Norman ruler took the title of Count of Conversano and turned it into the capital of a large county located between Lecce and Nardo. Then, for three centuries, the city passed from hand to hand until 1455, the year turned out to be not the property of Caterina del Balz Orsini, wife of Giulio Antonio Acquaviva, whose rules are born until the early 19th century.

Today, this small town is known primarily for its medieval castle Castello Conversano, which was built during the reign of the Normans and the Hohenstaufen. It is located on a hill overlooking the city, and dates back to the 6th century, although most of the castle was significantly rebuilt in the 11th century. Its notable feature is the unique round tower, built by Giulio Acquaviva.

The Romanesque cathedral was built in the 11th century, but some of his decorations were added in the 14th and 17th centuries. Its appearance is characterized by a Romanesque facade with a huge window-rosette and three portals decorated with sculptures. Inside you can see a fresco of the 15th century, written by a master of the school of Pisa, and the icon of the Madonna della Fonte, patroness of the city.

Benedictine convent of Conversano, founded, according to legend, in the 6th century, it was once one of the most influential in the whole of Puglia. In the middle of the 13th century Benedictine evicted, and in their place came the Cistercians. It was the only monastery in Europe, which novices could wear religious symbols, such as a miter. The abbey church is preserved part of the wall of the 11th century, and its scenery date from the mid 17th century. It is noteworthy that the belfry higher than the bell tower of the cathedral - it was a symbol of the abbey of superiority over the diocese.

Additional area attractions Conversano is called megalithic complex of the 6th century BC, the baroque church of San Cosma and San Damiano, the church of San Francesco of the 13th century and the church of Santa Caterina 12th century. Also worth seeing the nearby Castello Marchione and the ruins of Castiglione.