Extensions date back to the Svevo- Angevin age (XIII and XIV century). For the same Tower; we have mention from 16th century. The Aragonese domination gave to the town a secondary boundary wall following a population growth.
Thanks to the lawyer Martucci- Zecca we have news about a remake of the walls from the Baresana door to the Lamaja door (east side) at the end of the 14th century, become necessary because of bad conditions in that stretch of walls. In the 1834 there was the demolition of a tower that insisted on this side. Only from 1700 onwards the urban expansion not entrust to the walls but towards the current Avenue on which face beautiful palaces, like the two Gentile palace, one of them built by Castellucci, houses the Palace of the town.
Today, the remains of these ancient walls resurface here and there with its towers and (the Azzario card reports 28 towers in mid-‘500) and doors sometimes incorporated and hidden by houses and streets. Even the beautiful Traetta theatre hides the remains of a door and stretch of wall: this is the testimony of the artistic and the architectural palimpsest of our city.
It is possible to see the two of the five doors carrying out of the city centre: the Baresana door, with his charming glance for who walk back up the V. le Giovanni XXIII and the Avenue, LaMaja door, near the Del Carmine bridge, that, framed by two columns, one of which of Angevin origin an the other of Norman origin, welcomes who arrives to Bitonto from Modugno or Palo.
The remaining three doors, Pendile, face on the Tiflis river, Robustina and the latest Nova, destroyed during these last years. The Pendile Door was demolished in 1890, immediately later the demolition of Nova Door in 1883. At the Pendile door stands the church of S. Maria della Porta (1450) which begins Solferino, where are located a numbers of rooms made under the embankment. Shortly later, facing the old slaughterhouse, built in 1890 and today in state of neglect, we can see another stretch of walls with a turret called “Muro Carvutto”.
From here began another section of walls origins Angevin, interrupted by a beautiful tower with footing and loophole, until the Robustina square, called in this way because of his direction towards Ruvo. This Door was eliminated in 1898: a plaque placed near the Stellacci palace recalls his presence.
To follow, there was the wall of Robustina Door with another square tower, until the last Nova Door, turn to Terlizzi. Near, it is reported the presence of the Annunziata Church, built thanks to the remains of the 14th century walls.
Almost nothing remains of the Robustina Door, except for the basement of a small cylindrical tower at 20 in via Matteotti.
