Cerignola (; nap, label= Cerignolano, Ceregnòule ) 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 also ...

'' of

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

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 ...

, 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 ...

, southeast from the town of

Foggia Foggia (, , ; nap, label= Foggiano, Fògge ) is a city and former ''comune'' of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known ...

. It has the third-largest land area of any ''comune'' in Italy, at , after

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

and

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the c ...

. In 2017, it had a population of 58,534.

Geography

The large municipality is located in the Valley of Ofanto, a strip of land that runs alongside the homonymous river delimiting the southern edge of the Tavoliere Tavoliere. Cerignola is situated in south of the

, and spans from the Salt Marshes of Margherita di Savoia to the borders with

Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

region. It borders with Ascoli Satriano, Canosa di Puglia, Carapelle,

Lavello Lavello ( Potentino: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the region of Basilicata of southern Italy; it is located in the middle Ofanto valley. History The area of Lavello was settled in prehistoric times, as attested by f ...

Manfredonia Manfredonia is a town and commune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is 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 ...

, Ordona, Orta Nova,

San Ferdinando di Puglia San Ferdinando di Puglia is a town and '' comune'' in the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. Twin towns * Lariano, Italy * Carapelle Carapelle ( Foggiano: ) is a town and ''comune'' belonging to the Prov ...

, Stornara,

Stornarella Stornarella (Neapolitan language, Foggiano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region the southeast of Italy. References

Cities and towns in Apulia {{Puglia-geo-stub ...

Trinitapoli Trinitapoli is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani in the Apulia region of southeast Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is ...

and Zapponeta. Cerignola is the second biggest town 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 ...

for its number of inhabitants as well as for being the largest agriculture centre in its province.

History

Cerignola occupies the site of Furfane, a station on the ancient Roman

Via Traiana Via Appia ''(white)'' and Via Traiana ''(red)'' The Via Traiana was an ancient Roman road. It was built by the emperor Trajan as an extension of the Via Appia from Beneventum, reaching Brundisium (Brindisi) by a shorter route (i.e. via Canusi ...

between Canusium and Herdoniae. It was a

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (pl. ) referred to a town or city. Etymologically, the was a social contract among ("duty holders"), or citizens of the town. The duties () were a communal obligation assumed by the in exchange for the priv ...

during the Roman Empire. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, as part of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

, in 1418 it became a fief of the

Caracciolo Caracciolo () is an Italian surname most associated with the noble House of Carácciolo from the Kingdom of Naples. Other people with the name include: * Alberto Caracciolo, Argentinian musician * Andrea Caracciolo, Italian footballer * Battistel ...

family. In 1503 the Spaniards under Gonzalo de Córdoba defeated the French under Louis d'Armagnac (6th

Duke of Nemours Duke of Nemours was a title in the Peerage of France. The name refers to Nemours in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. History In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Lordship of Nemours, in the Gatinais, France, was a possession of ...

) below the town, a victory which ensured Spain the rule over the

kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

(see

battle of Cerignola The Battle of Cerignola was fought on 28 April 1503 between Spanish and French armies outside the town of Cerignola, Apulia, Kingdom of Naples (now in modern-day Italy), approximately west of Bari. The Spanish force under the command of G ...

) and is considered the first battle whose outcome was determined by gunpowder. In 17th century the fief passed to the Pignatelli family. Cerignola was rebuilt after a great earthquake in 1731. In the 19th century, after the reclamation of its territory, it has been home to a considerable agricultural production.

Main sights

*The Cathedral *The ''Chiesa Madre'' of St. Francis of Assisi (11th-12th centuries) *''Torre Alemanna'' (13th century), in the ''frazione'' Borgo Libertà *Church of ''Beata Vergine del Monte Carmelo'' (16th century) *''Palazzo Cirillo-Farrusi'' *''Piano delle Fosse del Grano''

Cuisine

The

Italian wine DOC The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”), * ''Indicazione geografica tipi ...

of Rosso di Cerignola is designated for red wine production only. 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 l ...

yield of 14 tonnes/ha with the finished wine required to have at least 12% alcohol. The wine is a blend of at least 55%

Uva di Troia Uva di Troia is a red wine grape variety grown in the Italian region of Apulia, particularly in the areas around Andria and Barletta, and in the Province of Bari. The name probably derives from the town of Troia in the Province of Foggia the le ...

, 15-30% Negroamaro, and up to 15% of an assortment of

Sangiovese Sangiovese (, also , , ) is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin ''sanguis Jovis'', "the blood of Jupiter". Though it is the grape of most of central Italy from Romagna down to Lazio (the most widespread grap ...

Barbera Barbera is a red Italian wine grape variety that, as of 2000, was the third most-planted red grape variety in Italy (after Sangiovese and Montepulciano). It produces good yields and is known for deep color, full body, low tannins and high level ...

, Montepulciano,

Malbec Malbec () is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are n ...

and

Trebbiano Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it ...

. If the wine is labeled as ''Riserva'' then the wine must have been aged at least two years in

oak barrels Oak is used in winemaking to vary the color, flavor, tannin profile and texture of wine. It can be introduced in the form of a barrel during the fermentation or aging periods, or as free-floating chips or staves added to wine fermented in a vess ...

/wood with a minimum alcohol level of 13%.

Transportation

Cerignola has a station, Cerignola Campagna, on the Pescara-

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Ital ...

main railroad (

Adriatic railway The Adriatic railway (Italian: ''Ferrovia Adriatica'') is the railway from Ancona to Lecce that runs along the Adriatic Coast of Italy, following it almost all of the way. It is one of the main lines of the Italian rail system and links the ...

), served by regional trains. From 1891 to 1956, it was the terminus of a short line to the city centre (''Cerignola Città'' station). It has also an exit ("Cerignola Est") on the

A14 motorway This is a list of roads designated A14. * A014 road (Argentina), a beltway ring-road around San Juan, San Juan Province * A14 motorway (Austria), a road connecting Hörbranz and the German Autobahn 96 to Bürs * A14 motorway (Belgium), a road ...

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...

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 comme ...

, and one ("Cerignola Ovest") on the A16 motorway

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

- Canosa. Provincial roads connect it to the main centre in the region as well. Public bus service in the town is provided by STUC company.

People

Cerignola is the native town of

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined ...

Nicola Zingarelli Nicola Zingarelli (; August 28, 1860 — June 6, 1935) was an Italian philologist, the founder of the Zingarelli Italian dictionary. He was born in Cerignola (Apulia) and died in Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city ...

, founder of the

Zingarelli ''Zingarelli'' is a modern Italian monolingual dictionary. Described as a ''Vocabolario della Lingua Italiana'' di Nicola Zingarelli, it is published annually by the Zanichelli publishing house Publishing is the activity of making informati ...

Italian

dictionary A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologie ...

, and

syndicalist Syndicalism is a revolutionary current within the left-wing of the labor movement that seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes with the eventual goal of gaining control over the means of pr ...

Giuseppe Di Vittorio.

Sport

The local football team is the Audace Cerignola, and its home ground is the Domenico Monterisi Stadium.Audace Cerignola official website
/ref>

International relations

Cerignola is twinned with: *

Vizzini Vizzini is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Catania, on the island of Sicily, southern Italy. It is located from Catania in the Hyblaean Mountains, on the most northwesterly slopes of Monte Lauro. The commune territory is b ...

Montilla Montilla () is a town and municipality of Spain, located in the autonomous community of Andalusia. , the town had a population of 23,209, which makes it the fourth most populated municipality of the Province of Córdoba. It lies 32 miles south o ...

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

* Nemours,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

References

Sources

External links

Official website

''La Notizia Web'' - Cerignola's online newspaper
{{authority control Cities and towns in Apulia