It has a well restored old city, and its own
Dialect .
According to some sources, the origins of the city trace back to the
Romans . Some recoveries of graves and furnishings already date the existence of a village of fishermen in the 4th century BC. This hypothesis is likely in as much as, for its position the city offered a valid landing to the commerces of Rubo (
Ruvo Di Puglia ). The first indication of a site place between ''Turenum'' (
Trani ) and ''Natiolum'' (
Giovinazzo ) is mentioned in the ''Itinerarium Provinciarum Antonini Augusti'', dated around the
217 BC . Such place was denominated ''Respa'', probably a wrong transcript of the toponymy ''Melpha'', referring to a small village of fishermen.
The first official document that quotes the city traces back to the November of
925 AD. Such document certifies the existence of a civitas, denominated Melfi, situated on a peninsula named Sant'Andrea. The city developed under the
Byzantine dominion, and was later conquered by the
Lombards , who included it in the
Duchy Of Benevento . The city was repeatedly assaulted by the
Saracen s, but resisted all the times. As an independent sea port, Molfetta traded with other Mediterranean markets, including
Venice ,
Alexandria ,
Constantinople ,
Syria ,
Amalfi and
Dubrovnik .
To the beginning of the 11th century the by the hand of the French, which happened between 18 and
July 19 1529 , episode that for a long period prevented the economical rebirth of the city.
- , one of the most important archaeological sites of southern Italy for what concerns the Neolithic age. It is a circular cave 23 m deep with grottoes and remains of old constructions.
- the of San Corrado (12th-13th centuries), in Apulian-Romanesque style. Built in local stone, it has a basilica plant, with nave with two aisles divided by four central cross-shaped pilasters. The floor has two domes. From the apse area two 20 m-towers elevate, one of which acted as watchtower, the other as normal belfry.
- the church of , which was built by the Jesuits from 1610 . It houses the remains of the city's patron, S. Conrad of Bavaria, and a silver bust of the saint (17th century) by G. Todaro.
- the church of (1451, rebuilt in 1585). It includes a triptych by Duccio d'Andria (15th century) and other paintings from the following centuries. Notable is the Renaissance choir. The annexed convent is now the City Palace.
- the church of , built from 1286, but with a Renaissance facade, in stone, added in {Link without Title} .
- the church of , simply known as Chiesa del Purgatorio, dating from 1643 and consecrated in 1667. The facade has statues representing St. Stephen, St. Peter, St. Paul and St. Lawrence and, on the two side summits, those of St. Joaquim and St. Anne. The interior houses paintings by B. Cavallino and C. Giaquinto.
- the , a small Neo-Gothic construction built in 1856 and designed by the local architect Corrado De Judicibus.
- 2 km outside the city in direction of Bisceglie , is the basilica-sanctuary of the . The current nave of the church is partially built over the old 11th century church, of which only a dome and the underlying structure remain, in the today's altar area. annexed is the Crusaders Hospital, also from the 11th century.
Personalities from Molfetta include the anti-fascist politic and writer
Gaetano Salvemini , the painter
Corrado Giaquinto , the sculptor
Giulio Cozzoli and the popular italian singer
Caparezza .
