The Torrione is a 16th-century structure used for lookout and defense against Turkish raids. Along with the chapel and the first haylofts, it formed the initial inhabited nucleus of “Saline di Barletta”, a name the municipality retained until 1879.
It is flanked by old buildings from the second half of the nineteenth century that served as deposits for “Exceptional Salts.” This tower was built after the renovation of the Barletta castle by the military architect Evangelista Menga from Copertino (circa 1540).
It is 12.67 meters tall and currently houses the municipal art gallery, which preserves over 150 works including paintings, sculptures, and drawings by artists of this century.
There are also reproductions of works by Raphael, Masaccio, and Guido Reni. An interesting piece is “The Shepherd Boy,” a painting by Francesco Galante, a late 19th-century Neapolitan school painter.
Information about the Municipal Art Gallery “F. Galante Civera”
Corso Vittorio Emanuele c/o Torrione 91, 7601 Margherita di Savoia (Barletta-Andria-Trani)
Tel. (+39) 0883.657519 – Email: ufficio.cultura@comune.margheritadisavoia.bt.it
