The Cattedrale di San Nicola Pellegrino is one of the finest Romanesque churches in southern Italy and the defining sight of Puglia's Adriatic coast. The pale Trani limestone glows pink at sunset; the tall, slender bell tower stands free of the main body, with a pointed arch cut straight through the base. The interior is austere — three Romanesque churches stacked one on top of another over an early Christian crypt, all open to visitors. The lowest level is the Hypogeum of San Leucio, dating to the 4th century. Look for the bronze 12th-century doors, taken inside for preservation; replicas hang in their place.
Trani Cathedral
A story
Trani's patron is Nicholas the Pilgrim, a Greek youth who arrived in the city in 1094 leading a flock of children and singing 'Kyrie eleison.' Locals took him for a holy fool; when he died a few weeks later miracles followed, and the cathedral was begun on the spot. He is unrelated to the more famous Saint Nicholas whose bones rest in nearby Bari.