Daunian Mountains (in Italian Monti della Daunia or Monti Dauni, or also improperly Subappennino Dauno) are a

mountain range A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...

in southern Italy, constituting the eastern appendix of the Campanian Apennines. They occupy the western fringe of Capitanata and the border of Apulia with

Molise it, Molisano (man) it, Molisana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 ...

and

Campania (man), it, Campana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demog ...

; the range takes its name from an ancient Italic tribe, the Dauni, although it was strongly held by Hirpini instead. The mountains and hills are bounded northwards by the Fortore valley, eastwards by the Tavoliere delle Puglie, southwards by the upper Ofanto valley. The chain is formed by

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

terrains, and is the source of a series of small streams which flow through the Tavoliere into the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) ...

. The highest peak is Monte Cornacchia, at . Historically, the Daunian Mountains have suffered a substantial depopulation in the last decades, due to their relative isolation. They include 21 '' comuni'', all in the

province of Foggia The Province of Foggia ( it, Provincia di Foggia ; Foggiano: ) is a province in the Apulia (Puglia) region of southern Italy. This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygian pre-Roman tribe living in Tavoliere plain, and ...

, which form two mountain communities (''Comunità Montana dei Monti Dauni Settentrionali '', with seat at Casalnuovo Monterotaro, and the ''Comunità Montana dei Monti Dauni Meridionali'', at Bovino).

Highest peaks

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dauni Mountains of Apulia Mountain ranges of the Apennines