Conversano
| Conversano | |
|---|---|
| Comune | |
| Comune di Conversano | |
 |
|
 Conversano
|
|
| Coordinates: 40°58′N 17°07′E / 40.967°N 17.117°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region |
 Apulia
|
| Province / Metropolitan city | Bari (BA) |
| Frazioni | Castiglione, Triggianello |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Giuseppe Lovascio |
| Area | |
| • Total | 126.92 km2 (49.00 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 219 m (719 ft) |
| Population (31 December 2010) | |
| • Total | 25,760 |
| • Density | 200/km2 (530/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Conversanesi |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Postal code | 70014 |
| Dialing code | 080 |
| Patron saint | Saint Flavian |
| Saint day | November 24 |
| Website | Official website |
Conversano is an ancient town and comune in the southern Italian province of Bari, Apulia. It is 30 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of Bari and 7 kilometres (4 mi) from the Adriatic coast, at 219 metres (719 ft) above sea level.
The counts of Conversano owned a stud that they used to breed black Neapolitan stallions with Barb and Andalusian genetic backgrounds: these horses had strong ram-like heads, short backs, and broad hocks. One horse born in 1767, Conversano, became one of the principal stallions for establishing the Lipizzan horses (Lipizzaner).
The town of Conversano was settled as early as the Iron Age, when the Iapyges or the Peucetii founded Norba. Later, as evidenced by the 6th-century BC necropolis, it became a flourishing trade town that was influenced by the nearby Greek colonies. Norba was conquered by the Romans in 268 BC and seems to have been abandoned around the time of the Visigothic invasion of Italy in 410–411.
The toponym, Casale Cupersanem, is known from the 5th century AD and was a bishopric seat from the 7th century. This new town gained importance when, in 1054, the Norman lord Geoffrey, assumed the title of "Count of Conversano" and turned Conversano into the capital of a large county that extended to Lecce and Nardò. After the count's death in 1101, the county was inherited by his sons Robert and Alexander. In 1132, defeated by Roger II of Sicily, Alexander fled to Dalmatia, and the county was assigned to Robert I of Basseville, who was succeeded by his son Robert II. After a period of royal sovereignty, Conversano was a possession of Bernardino Gentile and of the Brienne, the Enghien, Luxembourg, Sanseverino, Barbiano, Orsini, Caldora and Orsini del Balzo families. In 1455, Giovanni Antonio del Balzo Orsini died; the county was inherited by his daughter Catherine, whose husband, Giulio Antonio Acquaviva, started the long rule of the Acquaviva family, which lasted until the early 19th century.
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Wikipedia