11 - Sylos–Calò Palace

A Remarkable Example of Bitonto’s Renaissance

Audio Guide Transcript

This stunning palace forms a dramatic architectural backdrop to the square and represents the finest example of Renaissance civic architecture in Bitonto. Its current appearance results from a long and complex transformation, which turned a series of medieval structures into a refined noble residence.

It is organized around a central quadrangular courtyard with a surrounding colonnaded covered walkway, and includes an additional wing extending toward Cavour Square.

The entrance is marked by a monumental arched portal, flanked by two medallions with profile portraits of imperial figures. Beyond the entrance hall, visitors enter the inner courtyard, framed on three sides by a graceful series of arches resting on stone columns.

A scenic double staircase leads to the main floor, with a spacious terrace corridor connecting the upper rooms. Over time, many of these interior spaces were subdivided with later partitions, altering the original layout. Of the two vaulted rooms that remain, only one still preserves its original painted decoration—a delicate tempera mural with Art Nouveau motifs dating back to the early 20th century.

The upper gallery, one of the building’s most distinctive features, consists of a stone balustrade and a sequence of arches separated by large pillars, each containing a niche. Inside these niches are stone sculptures of the four cardinal virtues—Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude—created in the mid-1500s and reflecting the influence of Dalmatian sculptors active in Bitonto.

Use the map to explore

1 - Gentile’s Palace

2 - Church of Saint Francis of Paola

3 - De Marinis Palace

4 - Ventafridda Palace

5 - Chapel of Saint Matthew

6 - Pannone–Ferrara Palace

7 - Tommaso Traetta Theater

8 - Angevin Tower

9 - De Ferraris–Regna Palace

10 - Church of Saint Gaetano

11 - Sylos–Calò Palace

12 - Girolamo and Rosaria Devanna National Gallery

13 - Church of the Souls in Purgatory

14 - Scaraggi–Labini Palace

15 - Santorelli Palace

16 - Church of Saint Francis of Assisi

17 - Convent and Cloister of Saint Francis of Assisi

18 - Diocesan Museum and Hanging Gardens

19 - Bove Chapel – Saint Mary of Compassion

20 - Bove Palace

21 - Chapel of Saint Anne and the Council Hall of the Nobles

22 - Rogadeo Palace

23 - Planelli–Sylos Palace

24 - Vulpano–Sylos Palace

25 - Bove–Planelli–Tèrmite Palace

26 - Church of Saint Dominic

27 - Chapel of the Mysteries

28 - Gentile – Labini – Sylos Palace

29 - Church of Saint Teresa

30 - Carmine Sylos Classical High School

31 - Old Church of Saint Leucius

32 - Franco–Spinelli–Regna Palace

33 - Giannone–Alitti Palace

34 - Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary

35 - Crypt of the Cathedral

36 - Early Christian Substructure of the Cathedral

37 - Church of Saint Nicholas of the Hospital

38 - De Lerma Palace

39 - Church of Saint Sylvester

40 - Monastery of Saint Mary of the Virgins

41 - Barone – Gentile – Sisto Palace

42 - Albuquerque Palace

43 - Church of Saint Valentine

44 - Church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

45 - Francesco Spinelli School of Drawing

46 - Cioffrese Palace

47 - Chapel of the De Ìlderis Family and Agèra Gallery

48 - Battle Academy Museum

49 - Church and Cloister of Saint Peter the New

50 - Sylos–Sersale Palace

51 - Church of Saint George

52 - “Spazi della Memoria” Museum

53 - Church of the Annunciation

54 - “De Palo – Ungaro” Archaeological Museum

55 - Nicola Fornelli School Building

56 - Church of Saint Vitus

57 - Convent of Saint Leo the Great

58 - Church of the Crucifix

59 - Church of Mary Most Holy of the Immaculate Conception

60 - Church of Our Lady of Sorrows

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