Molfetta

A characteristic karstic collapse sinkhole created by the collapse of the vault and the dividing walls of one or more caves and tunnels formed starting from distant geological times and forming part of a complex karst system consisting of the confluence and intersection of several karst wells which originated precisely in that place from a series of geological coincidences.

Housed a restored building from the early 19th century, it exhibits various finds from various archaeological excavations, carried out since 1997 in the Neolithic village of the Azzollini Fund and in the nearby Pulo. The collection includes a selection of ceramics, lithic industries and fragments of the huts, dating back to the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, accompanied by captions, images and reconstructions. There are also some ceramic containers of the local 18th-century factories, which refer to the period in which the sinkhole was used as a saltpetre quarry.

Built between 1150 and the end of the 13th century, it is a singular example of Romanesque-Apulian architecture. The Cathedral was dedicated to Maria SS. Assunta and was the only existing parish in Molfetta until 1671. In 1785 the seat of the Cathedral was transferred to the present Cathedral of Maria SS. Assunta in Cielo and since then the Old Cathedral took the name of the patron San Corrado.

Its majestic facade was completed in 1744 after years of work started in 1610 and continued in the eighteenth century. On the façade, at the top, there is a large marble statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus. It became a Cathedral in 1785, as the Cathedral of San Corrado had become insufficient for the increased population.

The construction of the primitive nucleus of the church (corresponding, in today's layout, only to the area occupied by the high altar) began in 1162. Around 1830 the building underwent significant changes.

Palazzo Dogana stands on the edge of the ancient village, facing the port. Over time it has been the seat of the Episcopal Seminary, then moved to its current location, and of the customs. After several years of neglect, the construction site that will transform the building into a luxury hotel was started in 2017.

Palazzo Giovene is a sixteenth-century building located in Molfetta, today the seat of the municipal administration. Built by the "de Luca" family it then passed to the "Esperti" family who in 1772 gave it to the "Giovene". The building houses the seat of the Municipal Council, and a Contemporary Art Gallery where works by important local artists are kept. On the ground floor is a collection of models in medium-large scale of the most characteristic means of transport pulled by horses that were typical of the territory before the spread of the automobile.

The Museum-Picture Gallery of Molfetta is located in the premises of the Episcopal Seminary, in the historic center of the city. The museum houses finds from various excavation campaigns carried out in the wake of the " nineteenth-century enthusiasms ", in the Pulo di Molfetta and in other surrounding archaeological sites.