Despite its wonderful museum, fancy churches and enormous castle, Barletta is best known for the not-so-colossal Colossus that stands beside the Basilica del Santo Sepolcro on Corso Vittorio Emanuele. No-one knows who the guy in the funny frilly crown really is although he's definitely a Roman Emperor of some sort - Theodosius, Valentinian, Marcian - they just can't decide which one. The statue was stolen by the Venetians in 1203 after the sacking of Constantinople, but the ship foundered off the coast and it washed ashore. In 1309 Charles of Anjou thought he'd use a bit of the bronze to make some bells for the Palazzo del Sedile so his arms and legs were melted down and only later restored in a very clumsy job that's left him looking like he's wearing wellies.
