Barletta (bärlet'tä) [key], city (1991 pop. 89,527), Apulia, S Italy, on the Adriatic Sea. It is a seaport and a commercial and industrial center. Salt is mined nearby, and wine, textiles, and clothing are produced. Barletta passed to the Goths after the fall of the Roman Empire. Later controlled by the Byzantines and the Lombards, it became a Norman city in the later 12th cent. and prospered (14th–15th cent.) with its large merchant fleet. Noteworthy buildings include the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral (12th–14th cent.), the Church of Santo Sepolcro (13th cent.), and a castle (mainly 13th cent.).
