Daunian Mountains (in
Italian Monti della Daunia or Monti Dauni, or also improperly Subappennino Dauno) are a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have ari ...
in southern Italy, constituting the eastern appendix of the
Campanian Apennines. They occupy the western fringe of
Capitanata
The Province of Foggia ( it, Provincia di Foggia ; Foggiano: ) is a province in the Apulia (Puglia) region of southern Italy.
This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygian pre-Roman tribe living in Tavoliere plain, and ...
and the border of
Apulia
it, Pugliese
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with
Molise
it, Molisano (man) it, Molisana (woman)
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and
Campania
(man), it, Campana (woman)
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; the range takes its name from an ancient Italic tribe, the
Dauni
The Daunians ( el, Δαύνιοι, Daúnioi; la, Daunii) were an Iapygian tribe that inhabited northern Apulia in classical antiquity. Two other Iapygian tribes, the Peucetians and the Messapians, inhabited central and southern Apulia respectiv ...
, although it was strongly held by
Hirpini
The Hirpini ( Latin: ') were an ancient Samnite tribe of Southern Italy. While generally regarded as having been Samnites, sometimes they are treated as a distinct and independent nation. They inhabited the southern portion of Samnium, in the mo ...
instead.
The mountains and hills are bounded northwards by the
Fortore valley, eastwards by the
Tavoliere delle Puglie
300px, The Tavoliere seen from the Gargano promontory.
The Tavoliere delle Puglie (; ) is a plain in northern Apulia, southern Italy, occupying nearly a half of the Capitanata traditional region. It covers a surface of c. 3,000 km², once c ...
, southwards by the upper
Ofanto valley. The chain is formed by
sandstone
Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks.
Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicat ...
terrains, and is the source of a series of small streams which flow through the Tavoliere into the
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Sea) to th ...
. The highest peak is
Monte Cornacchia, at .
Historically, the Daunian Mountains have suffered a substantial depopulation in the last decades, due to their relative isolation. They include 21 ''
comuni
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 also ...
'', all in the
province of Foggia
The Province of Foggia ( it, Provincia di Foggia ; Foggiano: ) is a province in the Apulia (Puglia) region of southern Italy.
This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygian pre-Roman tribe living in Tavoliere plain, an ...
, which form two mountain communities (''Comunità Montana dei Monti Dauni Settentrionali '', with seat at
Casalnuovo Monterotaro, and the ''Comunità Montana dei Monti Dauni Meridionali'', at
Bovino).
Highest peaks
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dauni
Mountains of Apulia
Mountain ranges of the Apennines