Two finely carved marble screens mark the stairways that descend from the side aisles of the Cathedral into the crypt. A curious and captivating detail accompanies the entrance: on the left side, halfway up the base of an engaged column, a small sculpture is carved into the stone—an homage to the legend of Colapesce.

Colapesce is a mythical figure from the waters between Scylla and Charybdis, often depicted holding a torch. According to legend, he once challenged Emperor Frederick II, who doubted Colapesce’s claim that fire burned beneath Mount Etna. Colapesce dove into the sea with a piece of wood to prove it, promising to return once the subterranean flames had scorched it. The charred wood resurfaced, but Colapesce was never seen again, vanishing forever into the depths.

The cathedral crypt is as vast as the transept above it. It is divided into four naves, supported by thirty columns that vary in height and diameter. According to some theories, these columns may have been repurposed from a Roman temple dedicated to the goddess Minerva, once located on the city’s ancient acropolis. The capitals supporting the ribbed vaults are adorned with an array of vegetal and zoomorphic motifs, each unique, creating a forest of sculpted stone.

Among the most remarkable works preserved here are a wooden crucifix from the 15th century and the mausoleum of Giovanni Maria De Ferraris, sculpted by the Neapolitan artist Girolamo D’Auria. On the western wall, faded but evocative frescoes from the 14th century remain, depicting scenes such as the Annunciation, the Nativity, and various saints—precious fragments of a once more extensive painted decoration.

This space also holds the tomb of Tommaso Traetta, the celebrated composer from Bitonto and a key figure in the reform of Italian opera. His burial here infuses the crypt with profound symbolic meaning, bringing together spirituality, art, and collective memory in a sacred place.