Hotels Gioia Del Colle, Guesthouses Gioia Del Colle and Residences Gioia Del Colle

Gioia del Colle, a small municipality of the province of Bari which gathers 28.000 inhabitants, is idyllically set just in the heart of the karst Murge plateau, in the centre of the territories which were once occupied by the Peuceti. Situated halfway between the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Coast, it develops around a majestic Byzantine castle.

Situated just in the heart of the Murge plateau, which still retains genuine historical and cultural traditions, hotels in Gioia del Colle gather modern bedrooms, state-of-the-art conference facilities and well-equipped fitness centres. The local guest houses, which are situated a short distance from the major tourist centres of the province, are the ideal accommodation facilities for those looking for comfortable spaces and elegant atmospheres. The city's charming farm houses, which are surrounded by arid lunar landscapes and thick woods, gather small and comfortable bedrooms and elegant restaurants, the latter giving guests the possibility to taste excellent local specialities.

Gioia's city centre is dominated by the Swabian Norman Castle, which was commissioned at the end of the XI century by the first Norman feudal lord Riccardo Siniscalco. It was subsequently enlarged and embellished by Frederick II in 1230. The castle, which has quandrangual plan, is dominated by two impressive rusticated red carparo towers and a large trapezoidal courtyard. It is now the seat of the municipal library and the National Archaeological Museum.
Gioia gathers 11 beautiful churches: not to be missed is the Church of St. Maria Maggiore. The building, which was erected at the end of the XI century according to the canons of the Apulian-Romanesque architectural style, boasts a splendid Baroque facade which is surrounded by a beautiful balcony and surmounted by a sumptuous pediment, the latter being decorated with wonderful cornucopias. The neo-Gothic Church of St. S. Lucia, which features a Latin cross, is embellished by a stone statue depicting the saint, which is situated just in front of the splendid pediment.
The area of Monte Sannace, which develops on the top of a sweet hill which rises 5 kilometres far from the city centre, hosts the remains of the ancient  acropolis, which is said to date back to the VII century B.C. and to be part of the ancient Thuriae, the capital of Peucetia.