Foggia

— Comune —

Comune di Foggia

The Villa Comunale in Foggia

Coat of arms

Foggia

Location of Foggia in Italy

Coordinates: 41°27′51″N 15°32′46″E / 41.46417°N 15.54611°ECoordinates: 41°27′51″N 15°32′46″E / 41.46417°N 15.54611°E

Country

Foggia (FG)

Frazioni

Arpinova, Incoronata, Cervaro, Tavernola, Segezia, Duanera La Rocca

Government

• Mayor

Gianni Mongelli

Area

• Total

507 km² (196 sq mi)

Elevation

76 m (249 ft)

Population (1 January 2008)^[1]

• Total

153,469

• Density

300/km² (780/sq mi)

Demonym

Foggians

Time zone

CET (UTC+1)

• Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

Postal code

71100

Dialing code

0881

Patron saint

Madonna dei Sette Veli

Saint day

March 22

Website

www.comune.foggia.it

Piazza Cavour in Foggia

Foggia listen (help·info) is a city and comune of Apulia, Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known as the "granary of Italy".

History

The name Foggia derives from Latin "fovea", meaning "pit", referring to the pits where wheat was stored. Although the area had been settled since Neolithic times, and a Greek colony known as Argos Hippium (in Greek, Ἀργόριππα or Ἀργύριππόι) existed nearby, the first document attesting the existence of the modern city dates from 1000 AD: according to the legend, the first settlers were peasants who had found a panel portraying the Madonna, on which three flames burnt.

The area was marshy and unhealthy, being partially dried under Robert Guiscard, who therefore boosted the economic and social growth of the city. The city was the seat of Henry, Count of Monte Sant'Angelo during the last twenty years of the 11th century. In the 12th century, William II of Sicily built a cathedral here and further enlarged the settlement.

Frederick II had a palace built in Foggia in 1223, in which he often sojourned. It was also seat of his court and a studium, including figures such as Michael Scot, but little of it remains now. In 1447, King Alfonso V of Aragon built a Custom Palace to tax the local sheep farmers, but this caused a decline of the local economy and the progressive ruin of the land, which again became marshy. In 1456, an earthquake struck Foggia, followed by others in 1534, 1627 and 1731, the last destroying one third of the city. The House of Bourbon, however, promoted a certain economic growth by boosting the cereal agriculture of Capitanata and rebuilding much of the settlement.

In the 19th century, Foggia received a railway station and important public monuments. The citizens also took part in the riots, which led to the annexation to Italy in 1861. By 1865, there was a definitive shift from the custom of sheep farming in favour of an agricultural economy.

The historical lack of water resources was solved with the construction of the Apulian aqueduct in 1924, when Foggia was already an important hub between northern and southern Italy. This role pushed the Allies to bomb Foggia during World War II, in particular on July 22 and August 19, 1943, killing more than 20,000 civilians and reducing much of the city to rubble.^{[citation needed]} On October 1, 1943, the British 8th Army liberated Foggia, making it a stronghold of their slow offensive towards the north of the peninsula. In 1959 and 2006, Foggia received, respectively, the Gold Medal for Civil and Military value for its role in World War II.

The makers of the well-known American TV sitcom All in the Family included in the biography of the main character Archie Bunker a World War II service at Foggia, in the ranks of the United States Army Air Corps.

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Main sights

The cathedral of Santa Maria de Fovea, which is directly linked with the patron saint "Madonna dei Sette Veli" (Madonna of the Seven Veils)
Palazzo Dogana, the historical seat of the sheep custom.
Chiesa delle Croci ("Church of the Crosses").
I Tre Archi ("The Three Arches").
Arco di Federico II ("Arch of Frederick II").
Archaeological park of Passo di Corvo.

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Economy

It is a communication and industrial center and the main wheat market of Southern Italy. Foggia is famous for its watermelons and tomatoes.^[2]

Although less important than once before, the agricultural sector remains the mainstay of Foggia's economy, so much that its area is nicknamed the "granary of Italy".

The few industries present are mostly devoted to food processing. Craftsmanship is also encouraged and developed.

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Transport

Foggia railway station, opened in 1864, forms part of the Adriatic Railway (Ancona–Lecce), and is the terminus of the Naples–Foggia railway. It is also a junction for several other, secondary lines, namely the Foggia–Manfredonia, Lucera–Foggia and Foggia–Potenza railways, making Foggia the most important railway junction of southern Italy and the third one of whole Italy.

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Sport

Foggia's stadium is named after Pino Zaccheria, a local pioneer of basketball killed during World War II. It is home of the town's football team U.S. Foggia, which was very popular in early 1990s because of its sparkling interpretation of total football led by coach Zdenek Zeman. U.S. Foggia currently plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione.

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Famous people

Renzo Arbore, TV showman and musician.
Adriano Celentano, TV showman, musician and actor.
Umberto Giordano, composer, whose memory is honored in the town square.
Mauro De Mauro, journalist assassinated by mafia.
Tony Slydini, master close up magician.
Vincent Simone, dancer.
Donato Coco, automobile designer, currently chief designer at Ferrari.
Nicola Sacco, anarchist prisoner executed by U.S. government.

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International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Foggia is twinned with:

Göppingen, Germany, since 1971 Wałbrzych, Poland, since 1998 Pescasseroli, Italy, since 2005 Forlì, Italy, since 2009 L'Aquila, Italy, since 2009 Peterborough, United Kingdom, since 2009 Quimper, France, since 2011