Mattinata ( nap, label= Foggiano, Matenéte) is a

seaside resort A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requirements, such as in the Germ ...

town and ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

'' (municipality) 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, an ...

, Apulia, southern Italy. Tombe daune 0807091988

Geography

The only town in Apulia facing south the

Adriatic sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the 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) to t ...

, Mattinata is part of the

Gargano National Park The Gargano National Park () is a national park in the province of Foggia in southern Italy. Aside from the Gargano promontory (encompassing the ancient woodlands of the Foresta Umbra) from which it takes its name, it includes also the Tremiti Is ...

(''Parco Nazionale del Gargano''). The main urban area is located up on two hills enclosed by mountains in the northern, western and southern sides. The town faces eastward a plain (''Piana di Mattinata'') facing the Adriatic sea. The northern coastal part is known for its chalky white cliffs, its large number of suggestive sea grottos and, above all, for its two

Faraglioni In Italian, (; nap, faragliune ; singular in both languages) are stacks, coastal and oceanic rock formations eroded by waves. The word may be derived from the Greek ' or Latin ("lighthouse") and is cognate with the Spanish . They are found ...

stacks located in the Zagare Bay area. The area surrounding Mattinata is also a popular destination for botanical experts, due to the existence of around 60 different species of orchids.

History

The first humans to settle in the area were tribes of Eastern European origin, mainly from Greece and the Balkans (

Iapyges The Iapygians or Apulians (; el, Ἰάπυγες, ''Ĭāpyges''; la, Iāpyges, Iapygii, Umbrian ''Iabuscer'') were an Indo-European-speaking people, dwelling in an eponymous region of the southeastern Italian Peninsula named Iapygia (modern Ap ...

), which populated the surrounding areas since the 5th century BC. The origins of the name Mattinata can be traced back to the Roman village of ''Matinum'', which was located near the current sea port in the 1st century AD. Relatively few traces of the Roman settlement can still be found. The modern town is the result of the direct immigration of citizens from

Monte Sant'Angelo Monte Sant'Angelo ( Foggiano: ) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, southern Italy, in the province of Foggia, on the southern slopes of Monte Gargano. History Monte Sant'Angelo as a town appeared only in the 11th century. Between 1081 and 1103, ...

over different centuries, which administered the town until 1955, year of its independence as a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Main sights

*Necropolis of Monte Saraceno, which includes more than 500

Daunia The Daunians ( el, Δαύνιοι, Daúnioi; la, Daunii) were an Iapygian tribe that inhabited northern Apulia in classical antiquity. Two other Iapygian tribes, the Peucetians and the Messapians, inhabited central and southern Apulia respectiv ...

n graves *Ruins of the ''Santissima Trinità'' Benedictine Abbey' *Ruins of the Roman town of ''Matinum'', located near the harbour *''Faraglioni'' rocks in the Zagare Bay.

Economy

The economy of Mattinata is strongly based on services and, to a lesser extent, on farming and livestock. Tourism plays an important role in the community. Farm products include olive oil, almonds and figs. Livestock consists mainly of cattle and goats.

References

External links

Official website

Mattinata.it

Mattinata Net
Cities and towns in Apulia {{Apulia-geo-stub