Palazzo del Principe (già Palazzo del Balì)

The Palazzo del Principe in Putignano was formerly the palace of the balì, an officer of the Knights Hospitaller. Later transformed into a Romanazzi Carducci family residence, it became a civic museum through a twentieth-century donation.

Why it matters

The palace connects the administration of a religious military order with aristocratic domestic life. The survival of furnishings and collections gives the residential phase particular importance.

What to notice

The nineteenth-century main facade contrasts with an older lateral wing and hanging-garden terrace. A double-loggia atrium and the furnished principal rooms reveal different aspects of the residence. The frescoed Salone Giallo and collections of paintings, decorative arts and arms contribute to the domestic ensemble.

Context and history

The palace has medieval origins associated with the Hospitallers. An inscription records renewal in 1666 under the balì Vincenzo Crescimanno. The Romanazzi Carducci family acquired it around 1800, and Guglielmo donated the palace and its contents to Putignano in 1967.