Parco archeologico di Siponto, Manfredonia

Archaeological area of great importance that testifies to the significance achieved by ancient Siponto in the Roman era (colony since 194 BC), when it took on the role of one of the main ports of Regio II. The remains of the early Christian three-nave basilica with central apse and mosaic floor recall that it was the seat of one of the most important dioceses in the region. Fine mosaic floors relating to the construction phase of the basilica (4th century AD) and its renovation, which took place in the following century, are visible inside the medieval church of Santa Maria Maggiore.

The church, built between the end of the 11th and the beginning of the 12th century, is one of the cornerstones of Apulian Romanesque architecture. It has the shape of a cube surmounted at the center by a small dome and a crypt with an entrance from the outside. Between the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century, it underwent numerous restoration works. For the construction and architectural decoration, materials from the older Siponto were reused (columns, capitals). Noteworthy is the portal with archivolt supported by two columns resting on the back of a lion.

The ongoing excavations concern the medieval age of the city, before its abandonment in the course of the 13th century.