Copertino (; historical en, Cupertino, italic=yes; scn, label= Salentino, Cupirtinu ), also known in English as Cupertino, 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 ...

'' in the

province of Lecce The Province of Lecce ( it, Provincia di Lecce; Salentino: ) is a province in the Apulia region of Italy whose capital is the city of Lecce. The province is called the "Heel of Italy". Located on the Salento peninsula, it is the second most ...

in the Apulia region of south-east

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 ...

History

Following

Charles of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) ...

's successful campaign in 1266, the

Hohenstaufen The Hohenstaufen dynasty (, , ), also known as the Staufer, was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule the Duchy of Swabia from 1079, and to royal rule in the Holy Roman Empire during the Middle Ages from 1138 until 1254. The dynast ...

tower of Copertino was held first by the de Pratis family and then by Walter VI of Brienne, Duke of Athens, Count of Lecce and Grand Constable of France. Copertino became the centre of a County under the Enghiens, who were sovereigns of the land of Galatone, Leverano and Veglie. With the marriage of Mary of Enghien, Countess of Lecce and Copertino (later Queen of Naples and titular Queen of Sicily, Jerusalem, and Hungary) to Raimondo del Balzo Orsini, the county became part of the principality of Taranto. The French knight Tristan Chiaromonte (de Clermont-Lodeve) led the development of the county capital, having assumed power over the territory on his marriage to Caterina, daughter of Mary of Enghien. Tristan's daughter Isabella of Clermont, heiress to the Brienne claim to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, married

Ferdinand I of Naples Ferdinando Trastámara d'Aragona, of the Naples branch, universally known as Ferrante and also called by his contemporaries Don Ferrando and Don Ferrante (2 June 1424, in Valencia – 25 January 1494, in Naples), was the only son, illegitimate, of ...

. With the conquest of the

Salento Salento ( Salentino: ''Salentu'', Salentino Griko: ''Σαλέντο'') is a cultural, historical and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apulia in Southern Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the Italian Peninsul ...

peninsula by the Aragonese dynasty, effected jointly by the Spanish army and knights from

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the ...

, the county was gifted in 1498 to Alfonso Castriota Scanderbeg, in gratitude for military support. The

Princes of Belmonte A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

gained the Castle through the Squarciafico Counts of Copertino, to whom the fief passed from 1557.

Copertino DOC

The area around Copertino is permitted to make red and ''

rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact metho ...

'' Italian DOC wine. The grapes are limited to a

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most lab ...

of 14 tonnes/ha with the finished wines needing a minimum of 12% alcohol. The wines are predominantly Negroamaro with no more than a 30% blend component of Malvasia, Montepulciano and Sangiovese (which is further limited to a maximum of 15%). Wines labeled '' Riserva'' must be aged for a minimum of 2 years prior to release and have a minimum alcohol level of 12.5%.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' pg 154 Firefly Books 2004

Main sights

* Copertino Castle, built by architect Evangelista Menga in 1540 on a previous Norman and Angevin fortress, is one of the most massive fortifications in Apulia. *Sanctuary of St. Joseph of Copertino *Sanctuary and monastery of La Grottella

Twinnings

Cupertino Cupertino ( ) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 57,8 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

(named after St. Joseph of Copertino) * Osimo, Italy * Poggiardo, Italy

People

* Joseph of Cupertino (1603–1663), Christian mystic and saint. *

Cristina Conchiglia Cristina Conchiglia, married name Calasso (Brindisi, 4 January 1923 - Lecce, 5 May 2013), was an Italian trade unionist and politician. Leader of the Italian General Confederation of Labour and the Italian Communist Party. She was Mayor Emeritu ...

(1923-2013), trade unionist and politician, Mayor Emeritus of Copertino * Giuliano Sangiorgi (born 1979), singer of Negramaro. * (born 1939), Italian head chef. * Graziano Pellè (born 1985), footballer. * Adriano Pappalardo (born 1945), singer. *

Beatrice Rana Beatrice Rana (born 22 January 1993) is an Italian pianist. Early life Born in Copertino, Rana began studying piano at the age of 4, and made her orchestral debut at 9, performing Bach's Piano Concerto in F minor conducted by Francesco Libett ...

(born 1993), pianist.

References

{{authority control Cities and towns in Apulia Localities of Salento