Francavilla Fontana ( Francavillese: ) is a 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 Brindisi The Province of Brindisi ( it, Provincia di Brindisi) is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Brindisi. It has an area of and a total population of 401,652 (2013). Geography The Province of Brindisi is situated in ...

and region of

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

, in southern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It is also called the town of the "Imperiali", after the Imperiali, a family of feudal lords who ruled the town from the end of 16th century until the 18th century. With a population of 36,358, in 2017, it is the third municipality of its province after

Brindisi Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Histo ...

and Fasano. Its one of the many towns in south Italy where the Greek dialect

Griko Griko, sometimes spelled Grico, is the dialect of Italiot Greek spoken by Griko people in Salento (province of Lecce) and (also called Grecanic) in Calabria. Some Greek linguists consider it to be a Modern Greek dialect and often call it ( el, ...

is spoken.

History

The name Francavilla has French-Norman origins: "Franca" (tax-free) and "villa" (town). The specification ''

Fontana Fontana may refer to: Places Italy *Fontana Liri, comune in the Province of Frosinone *Fontanafredda, comune in the Province of Pordenone *Fontanarosa, comune in the Province of Avellino *Francavilla Fontana, comune in the Province of Brindisi * ...

'' ("fountain") alludes to a vision of the Virgin Mary witnessed by Prince Filippo d'Angiò, who hence declaring the town a tax-free haven, according to the local legend.

Geography

Francavilla is located in the Altosalento, on the last

Murge The Altopiano delle Murge (Italian for "Murge plateau") is a karst topographic plateau of rectangular shape in southern Italy. Most of it lies within Apulia and corresponds with the sub-region known as Murgia or Le Murge. The plateau lies mainl ...

's hills, and it is equidistant, about , from

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label=Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important comme ...

and

. The municipality borders with Ceglie Messapica,

Grottaglie Grottaglie (; scn, label=Salentino, li Vurtàgghie; la, Criptalium) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Taranto, Apulia, in southern Italy. Geography Grottaglie is located in the Salento peninsula, dividing the Adriatic sea from Ioni ...

, Latiano,

Manduria Manduria is a city and '' comune'' of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Taranto. With c. 32,000 inhabitants (2013), it is located east of Taranto. History It was an important stronghold of the Messapii against Taras. Archidamus III, king ...

, Oria, San Marzano di San Giuseppe, San Michele Salentino, San Vito dei Normanni,

Sava The Sava (; , ; sr-cyr, Сава, hu, Száva) is a river in Central and Southeast Europe, a right-bank and the longest tributary of the Danube. It flows through Slovenia, Croatia and along its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally t ...

and Villa Castelli.

Main sights

* The massive square Castle (''Palazzo Imperiali'') of the

Imperiali family The Imperiali (or Imperiale) family is a princely noble family. It is one of the most important Italian families and was a key protagonist of European history among aristocratic families. Originating from the Republic of Genoa it was previously na ...

, to whom, with Oria, it was sold by St.

Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat ...

in the 16th century for 40,000 ounces of gold, which he distributed in one day to poor and plague-infected people in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

. * Mother Church, built from 1743 over a former Angevine construction. *Torre dell'Orologio (watchtower), built in 1750.

Transport

The town, 18 km east of Taranto-Grottaglie Airport, is served by the SS7 " Appia" highway. The local railway station is a junction point between the lines Taranto–Brindisi, owned by the national company FS, and Martina–Lecce, owned by FSE. It is served by regional and, on the

line, by long-distance trains also.

Sport

The local football club is the Virtus Francavilla, that has its home ground in John Paul II Stadium.

People

* Ottaviano Andriani (b. 1974), marathon runner *

Cosimo Caliandro Cosimo Caliandro (11 March 1982 – 10 June 2011) was an Italian middle distance runner who won a gold medal at the 2007 European Indoor Championships. Biography Caliandro was born in Francavilla Fontana. In his first appearance on the world st ...

(1982–2011), middle-distance runner *

Clementina Forleo Maria Clementina Forleo (born 1963, in Francavilla Fontana, province of Brindisi) is an Italian preliminary judge (''Giudice per le indagini preliminari'', or ''GIP'' for short) at the Court of Milan. She came to national prominence after discov ...

(b. 1963), judge *

Giuseppe Renato Imperiali Giuseppe Renato Imperiali (1 May 1651 – 18 February 1737) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), cardinal, and known as an avid bibliophile. Biography He was born in Francavilla Fontana in Apulia, in the Kingdom of Naples, into an aristocratic ...

(1651–1737), cardinal * Michele Imperiali Simeana (1736–1782), prince * Giacomo Leone (b. 1971), long-distance runner *

Francesco Ribezzo Francesco, the Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis", is the most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name include: People with the given name Francesco * Francesco I (disambiguation), seve ...

(b. 8 May 1875, died Lecce, 19 October 1952), glottologist - the science of tongues or languages; comparative philology, particularly the dialect of F. Fontana

Twin towns

* San Giovanni al Natisone, Italy

References

External links

Official website
* Cities and towns in Apulia Localities of Salento Castles in Italy {{Puglia-geo-stub