I am Manfredi, King of Sicily, son of Frederick II and Bianca Lancia.
Many of you know my name, few know my dream.
I was crowned at twenty-six.
I loved peace as much as battle, beauty as much as knowledge.
I welcomed poets and scholars, because i believe that a kingdom without culture as no soul. Even Dante wrote about me.
They say I was handsome, educated, and brave… but what I truly wanted was to leave something that would outlast my crown.
One day I arrived here, where the sea meets the land and the sky feels closer.
Siponto lay wounded and silent. Yet, just a few steps away, the light changed – and the sea, before me, seemed to call out.
Here, where land touches the horizon, I am imagining a city being born.
A new city that would carry the hopes of a people and the breath in the wind of the future.
I said: This is where Manfredonia will rise.
Not a kingdom of stone, but of wind, sea, and culture.
And now, every time the sunset gilds the walls to gold and people walk around proudly through its streets, I know that my dream still lives.
«Because dreams, when they find someone to cherish them, they never die»
© 2026 Cultural project “La Statua Parlante di Re Manfredi”
Historical and cultural enhancement project by the Department of Culture – Municipality of Manfredonia.