It was a small fortified centre of theRomans, who called itNatolium, maybe built on the ruins of thePeuceteNetium which was destroyed during thePunic Wars.[3]
After theByzantine period, it became a countship (later a duchy). It became later a flourishing commercial centre, that had trading connections withVenice.
Theco-cathedral, dedicated toSanta Maria Assunta (Mary's Assumption), built in theNorman period (1150–1180), in characteristicApulian Romanesque style featuring Eastern and Western elements, consecrated in 1283 under bishop Giovanni II; under bishop Paolo De Mercurio (1731–1752) it got a thoroughBaroque remodeling.
Ducal Palace/Castle (17th century)
Two columns of theVia Traiana, which however did not pass through the city.
