Andria (; Barese: ) is a city 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 also ...

'' in Apulia ( southern Italy). It is an agricultural and service center, producing wine, olives and almonds. It is the fourth-largest municipality in the Apulia region (behind Bari,

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

, and Foggia) and the largest municipality of the

Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani The Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani is a province of Italy in the Apulia region. The establishment of the province took effect in June 2009, and Andria was appointed as its seat of government on 21 May 2010. It was created from 10 municipalit ...

. It is known for the 13th-century Castel del Monte.

Geography

The city is located in the area of the Murgia and lies at a distance of from

Barletta Barletta () is a city, '' comune'' of Apulia, in south eastern Italy. Barletta is the capoluogo, together with Andria and Trani, of the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. It has a population of around 94,700 citizens. The city's territory be ...

and the Adriatic coast. Its municipality, the 16th per area in Italy, borders with

Canosa di Puglia Canosa di Puglia, generally known simply as Canosa ( nap, label= Canosino, Canaus), is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia, southern Italy. It is located between Bari and Foggia, on the northwestern edge of the ...

, Corato,

Minervino Murge Minervino Murge ( nap, Menarvèine, label= Central Apulian ) is a town and ''comune'', former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see in the administrative province of Barletta-Andria-Trani in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, lyin ...

Ruvo di Puglia ''"Ruvo died to revive, like the Phoenix of Heliopolis, from the ashes of itself"'' Ruvo di Puglia (; nap, label= Ruvese, Rìuve ) is a city and '' comune (municipality)'' in the Metropolitan City of Bari in Apulia, southern Italy. It is a ve ...

Spinazzola Spinazzola is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, Apulia, southern Italy. People *Pope Innocent XII was born here in the castle of the Pignatelli family, now destroyed. * Michele Ruggieri (1543–1607), Jesuit mis ...

and

Trani Trani () is a seaport of Apulia, in southern Italy, on the Adriatic Sea, by railway west-northwest of Bari. It is one of the capital cities of the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani. History Overview The city of ''Turenum'' appears for the fir ...

History

Different theories exist about the origins of Andria. In 915 it is mentioned as a " casale" ("hamlet") depending from

; it acquired the status of city around 1046, when the Norman count

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

enlarged and fortified the settlements in the area (including also

, Corato and

Bisceglie Bisceglie (; nap, label= Biscegliese, Vescégghie) is a city and municipality of 55,251 inhabitants in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, in the Apulia region (''Italian'': ''Puglia''), in southern Italy. The municipality has the fourth hi ...

). In the 14th century, under the Angevins, Andria became seat of a Duchy. In 1350 it was besieged by German and Lombard mercenaries of the Hungarian army, and in 1370 by the troops of Queen

Joan I of Naples Joanna I, also known as Johanna I ( it, Giovanna I; December 1325 – 27 July 1382), was Queen of Naples, and Countess of Provence and Forcalquier from 1343 to 1382; she was also Princess of Achaea from 1373 to 1381. Joanna was the eldest dau ...

. In 1431 the ruler of Andria Francesco II Del Balzo found the mortal remains of Saint Richard of Andria, the current patron saint, and instituted the Fair of Andria (23–30 April). In 1487 the city was acquired by the Aragonese, the Duchy passing to the future King

Frederick IV of Naples Frederick (April 19, 1452 – November 9, 1504), sometimes called Frederick IV or Frederick of Aragon, was the last Kingdom of Naples, King of Naples from the Neapolitan branch of the House of Trastámara, ruling from 1496 to 1501. He was the seco ...

. Later (1552), it was sold by the Spanish to

Fabrizio Carafa Fabrizio Carafa (1588 – March, 1651) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Bitonto (1622–1651). ''(in Latin)''Carafas ruled the city until 1799, when the French troops captured it after a long siege. After the Bourbon restoration, Andria was a protagonist of the Risorgimento and, after the

unification of Italy The unification of Italy ( it, Unità d'Italia ), also known as the ''Risorgimento'' (, ; ), was the 19th-century political and social movement that resulted in the consolidation of different states of the Italian Peninsula into a single ...

, the brigandage era.

Main sights

Andria was a favorite residence of Emperor Frederick II, who built the imposing 13th-century '' Castel del Monte'' about 15 km south of the city center; it is one of the most famous Italian castles, and was listed as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

in 1996. Other sights include: * The 12th-century

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

, which has a 7th-century crypt * The Ducal Palace, a fortified residence renovated in the 16th century *''San Domenico'' (14th century, largely renovated in the following centuries). Church contains a bust of Duke Francesco II Del Balzo attributed to

Francesco Laurana Francesco Laurana, also known as Francesco de la Vrana ( hr, Frane Vranjanin; c. 1430 – before 12 March 1502) was a Dalmatian sculptor and medallist. He is considered both a Croatian and an Italian sculptor. Though born in the territory of th ...

, and a 16th-century wooden sculpture of the ''Madonna with Child''. *''Sant'Agostino'', church built in the 13th century by the

Teutonic Knights The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians o ...

, who originally dedicated it to one of their patrons, Saint Leonard. The church was later handed over to the Benedictines, and rebuilt by the Augustinians after the sieges of 1350. The main points of interests are the Gothic-style gates, with precious reliefs and crests of the Del Balzo and Anjou families, as well as the Teutonic eagles. *'' San Francesco'', church and monastery with its cloister (12th century) * The Communal Palace * ''Santa Maria dei Miracoli'' (16th century), Sanctuary basilica from Andria, housing a venerated Byzantine icon from the 9th-10th centuries. The basilica is on three different levels. The lower, and most ancient, comprises a hall with a nave and two aisles, with decoration showing stories from

Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...

. The middle level (''Tempietto'') has three arcades in polychrome marbles, and is home to the Byzantine icon. The upper level, the 18th century basilica designed by

Cosimo Fanzago Cosimo Fanzago (Clusone, 12 October 1591 – Napoli, 13 February 1678) was an Italian architect and sculptor, generally considered the greatest such artist of the Baroque period in Naples, Italy. Facade Santa Maria della Sapienza. Biography Fanz ...

, is preceded by another church, dedicated to the Holy Crucifix and decorated with frescoes depicting the Passion of Christ. *'' San Nicola di Myra'', 12th century church, with subsequent refurbishments * The church of the Holy Cross (9th century). It has a nave and two aisles, separated by four pilasters. The crypt was dug in a

tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock ...

rock and includes some natural grottoes. * The church of ''Santa Maria di Porta Santa'' (13th century).

Government

Transportation

Andria is connected by the A14 National Motorway, and the SP 231 provincial road connecting it to Bari and Foggia. Andria has a railway station in the

Bari–Barletta railway The Bari–Barletta railway is a regional railway line in Apulia, Italy, managed by the private company Ferrotramviaria Ferrotramviaria is a private railway company of Italy. Based in Bari, in the Apulia region, it manages the ''Ferrovie del N ...

, part of the Ferrovie del Nord Barese network managed by

Ferrotramviaria Ferrotramviaria is a private railway company of Italy. Based in Bari, in the Apulia region, it manages the ''Ferrovie del Nord Barese'' network, composed by the Bari–Barletta railway and the Bari metropolitan railway service. Railway services ...

. The nearest

Trenitalia Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. A subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane, itself owned by the Italian government, the company was established in 2000 following a European Union directive on the deregulation of rail tra ...

-FS (Italian national railroads) station is that of Barletta, from Andria. On 12 July 2016, a head-on collision between two passenger trains occurred on the line south of Andria. At least 23 people were killed and dozens more injured. The nearest airport is that of Bari, away.

Sport

The most popular sport in town is football and the main team is Fidelis Andria. Its home stadium is

Stadio Degli Ulivi Stadio Degli Ulivi is a multi-purpose stadium in Andria, Italy. It is mainly used for football matches and hosts the home matches of Lega Pro side Fidelis Andria Fidelis Andria 2018 or simply Fidelis Andria is an Italian association foot ...

Notable people

Peter I of Trani Peter I (born before 1020), also known as Petronius (french: Pierron and it, Petrone or ), was the first Norman count of Trani. He was one of the most prominent of the twelve leaders of the Norman mercenaries serving Guaimar IV of Salerno. Thoug ...

Conrad IV of Germany Conrad (25 April 1228 – 21 May 1254), a member of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the only son of Emperor Frederick II from his second marriage with Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem. He inherited the title of King of Jerusalem (as Conrad II) up ...

Isabella II of Jerusalem Isabella II (12124 May 1228), also known as Yolande of Brienne, was a princess of French origin, the daughter of Maria, the queen-regnant of Jerusalem, and her husband, John of Brienne. She was reigning Queen of Jerusalem from 1212 until her death ...

, buried in the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

crypt *

Isabella of England Isabella of England (1214 – 1 December 1241) was an English princess of the House of Plantagenet. She became Holy Roman Empress, Queen of Sicily, Italy and Germany from 1235 until her death as the third wife of Emperor Frederick II. Life ...

, buried in the

crypt * Farinelli *

Richard of Andria Richard was Bishop of Andria, Italy. He was appointed to the see of Andria by fellow Englishman Pope Adrian IV. In 1179, Richard was one of the Bishops present at the Eleventh Ecumenical Council (Third Lateran, 1179) held by Pope Alexander III. ...

* Vincenzo Carafa * Ettore Carafa *

Corrado Ursi Corrado Ursi (26 July 1908 – 29 August 2003) was an Italian prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Naples from 1966 to 1987, and was created a cardinal in 1967, given the titular church of San Callisto.Lino Banfi *

Antonio Matarrese Antonio Matarrese (born 4 July 1940) is an Italian sports manager for football. He is known for having owned A.S. Bari for almost 20 years. Family His brothers also worked in notable positions. Giuseppe Matarrese, was the Bishop of Frascati from ...

* Tuccio D'Andria *

Riccardo Scamarcio Riccardo Dario Scamarcio (; born 13 November 1979) is an Italian actor and film producer. Life and career Scamarcio was born in Trani, Apulia, the son of Irene Petrafesa, a painter, and Emilio Scamarcio. He went to train as an actor at the Sc ...

* Isabella del Balzo *

Antonia of Baux Antonia of Baux ( it, Antonia del Balzo; c. 1353 – 23 January 1375), was an Italian noblewoman member of the French House of Baux (italianized as del Balzo) and by marriage Queen consort of Sicily, Duchess consort of Athens and Neopatras. B ...

International relations

Andria is twinned with: *

Alberobello Alberobello (; literally "beautiful tree"; Barese: ) is a small town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. It has 10,735 inhabitants and is famous for its unique '' trullo'' buildings. The ''trulli'' of Alberob ...

, Italy *

Monte Sant'Angelo Monte Sant'Angelo ( Foggiano: ) is a town and ''comune'' of Apulia, southern Italy, in the province of Foggia, on the southern slopes of Monte Gargano. History Monte Sant'Angelo as a town appeared only in the 11th century. Between 1081 and 1103, ...

, Italy, since 2013

References

External links

Official website

Andria web portal

Map of Andria
on

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

{{Authority control Cities and towns in Apulia