Lesina () is a town and , former bishopric and Latin Catholic

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

on the northern side of

Monte Gargano Gargano () is a historical and geographical sub-region in the province of Foggia, Apulia, southeast Italy, consisting of a wide isolated mountain massif made of highland and several peaks and forming the backbone of a promontory projecting into ...

in the

province of Foggia The province of Foggia (, ; Neapolitan language, Foggiano: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Regions of Italy, Italian region Apulia. This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygians, Iapygian pre-Roman tribe livi ...

, in the

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

region of southeast

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Description

Lesina lies on the northern side of Gargano and on the shores of the lake with the same name. It is a maritime village known for the production of (female)

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

s. The site, populated since the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

era, is a narrow strip of land covered with sandy dunes and little woods, separating the lake from the sea, which creeps into its waters through two canals (Aquarotta and Schiapparo). Devio hill, only high, divides the two lakes, Lesina and Varano, and some findings of the Neolithic era have been found there. Lesina, built after the immigration of Dalmatian fishers, and known to Romans as Alexina, was often afflicted by earthquakes and sea flooding, and its population was decimated by malaria. The hot waters of Caldoli stream, not very far and near San Nazario Sanctuary, testify to its volcanic activities. The first

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of the town is San Primiano Martire, celebrated on 15 May.

Diocese of Lesina

Lesina became a bishopric in the thirteenth century until it was suppressed into the diocese of Larino around the year 1567. It was restored as a titular see in 1968.

Main sights

* Lesina Cathedral * Episcopal Palace (13th century) * Natural Museum of the Lake Lesina

References

External links

Official website
Cities and towns in Apulia {{Puglia-geo-stub