Manfredonia
| Manfredonia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Comune | ||
| Comune di Manfredonia | ||
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.svg) Manfredonia within the Province of Foggia |
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 Manfredonia
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| Coordinates: 41°38′N 15°55′E / 41.633°N 15.917°ECoordinates: 41°38′N 15°55′E / 41.633°N 15.917°E | ||
| Country | Italy | |
| Region |
 Apulia
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| Province / Metropolitan city | Foggia (FG) | |
| Frazioni | Borgo Mezzanone, Riviera Sud (Sciali and Ippocampo), Pastini, Ruggiano, San Salvatore, Siponto, Tomaiuolo | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Angelo Riccardi | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 351 km2 (136 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) | |
| Population (30 April 2011) | ||
| • Total | 57,416 | |
| • Density | 160/km2 (420/sq mi) | |
| Demonym(s) | Manfredoniani, Sipontini | |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | |
| Postal code | 71043 | |
| Dialing code | 0884 | |
| Patron saint | Saint Laurence of Siponto (San Lorenzo Maiorano) | |
| Saint day | February 7 | |
| Website | Official website | |
Manfredonia [mamfreˈdɔːnja] is a town and comune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is 35 kilometres (22 miles) northeast by rail. Manfredonia is situated on the coast, facing east, to the south of Monte Gargano, and gives its name to the gulf to the east of it. As of 2011[update] its population was 57,416.
The area of current Manfredonia was settled in ancient times by the Greeks, founded by Diomedes. The flourishing Greek colony, having fallen into the hands of the Samnites, was retaken about 335 BC by King Alexander of Epirus, uncle of Alexander the Great.
In 189 BC Sipontum was conquered by the Romans and became a colony of citizens. It was a port at the junction of the road which basically followed the Adriatic coast (but giving the Garganus mountain's peninsula just north a miss) and a road through Arpi, Luceria, Aecae and Aequum Tuticum connecting at Beneventum to the Via Appia.
In AD 663 it was taken and destroyed by the Slavs. In the 9th century, Sipontum was for a time in the power of the Saracens.
In 1042 the Normans made it the seat of one of their twelve counties, while the Monte Gargano remained Byzantine. The Normans won a decisive victory there over the Byzantine general Argyrus in 1052. Siponto was an archbishopric in the Norman countship of Apulia.
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Wikipedia