Cerignola (; ) is a town and ''

comune A (; : , ) is an administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions () and provinces (). The can also have the City status in Italy, titl ...

'' of

Apulia Apulia ( ), also known by its Italian language, Italian name Puglia (), is a Regions of Italy, region of Italy, located in the Southern Italy, southern peninsular section of the country, bordering the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Strait of Ot ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, in the

province of Foggia The province of Foggia (, ; Neapolitan language, Foggiano: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Regions of Italy, Italian region Apulia. This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygians, Iapygian pre-Roman tribe livi ...

, southeast from the town of

Foggia Foggia (, ; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 delle Puglie, Tavoliere, also know ...

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

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

and

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) 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 during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

and it has the largest land area of any ''comune'' in Italy among those that are not the provincial capital. 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 Basilicata (, ; ), also known by its ancient name Lucania (, , ), is an administrative region in Southern Italy, bordering on Campania to the west, Apulia to the north and east, and Calabria to the south. It has two coastlines: a 30-kilometr ...

region. It borders with

Ascoli Satriano Ascoli Satriano (; ) is a town and ''comune ''in the province of Foggia in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. It is located on the edge of a large plain in Northern Apulia known as the Tavoliere delle Puglie.Curtis, DanielIs there an ‘agro- ...

Canosa di Puglia Canosa di Puglia, generally known simply as Canosa (), 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 plateau of the Murgia which ...

Carapelle Carapelle ( Foggiano: ) is a town and ''comune'' belonging to the Province of Foggia and situated in the Apulia region of southern Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, ...

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 fi ...

Manfredonia Manfredonia () is a town and Comune, 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 of Manf ...

Ordona Ordona is a small town and ''comune'' of the province of Foggia in the region of Apulia in southern Italy. Geography Ascoli Satriano, Carapelle, Foggia, Orta Nova, Cerignola are nearby towns. History Ordona lies near the ancient site of ''Her ...

Orta Nova Orta Nova is a town and ''comune'' about from Foggia, in the region of Apulia, in southern Italy. It stretches to the southern part of the ''Tavoliere'' (Foggia's plain) on the right bank of the river Carapelle. The origins of the name "Orta" ar ...

, San Ferdinando di Puglia, Stornara, Stornarella, Trinitapoli and Zapponeta. Cerignola is the second biggest town of

Capitanata The province of Foggia (, ; Foggiano: ) is a province in the Italian region Apulia. This province is also known as Daunia, after the Daunians, an Iapygian pre-Roman tribe living in Tavoliere plain, and as Capitanata, derived from ''Catapanat ...

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 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 Canusium, Butuntum and Barium rather than via ...

between

Canusium Canosa di Puglia, generally known simply as Canosa (), 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 plateau of the Altopiano dell ...

and Herdoniae. It was a

municipium In ancient Rome, the Latin term (: ) 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 privileges ...

during the Roman Empire. In the

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

, as part of the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially 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 established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

, in 1418 it became a fief of the Caracciolo 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 Gâtinais, France, was a possession of th ...

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

kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially 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 established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

(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 Gon ...

) 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 of Rosso di Cerignola is designated for red wine production only. Grapes are limited to a

harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...

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

Sangiovese Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety that derives its name from the Latin , "blood of Jove, Jupiter". Sangiovese Grosso, used for traditionally powerful and slow maturing red wines, is primarily grown in the central regions of Italy ...

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 levels ...

Montepulciano Montepulciano () is a medieval and Renaissance hill town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Siena in southern Tuscany. It sits high on a limestone ridge, east of Pienza, southeast of Siena, southeast of Florence, and north of Rome ...

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 ...

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/wood with a minimum alcohol level of 13%.

Transportation

Cerignola has a station, Cerignola Campagna, on the

Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

main railroad ( Adriatic railway), 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

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

Taranto Taranto (; ; previously called Tarent in English) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Taranto, serving as an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base. Founded by Spartans ...

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

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

- 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.

Notable people

* Nicola Zingarelli,

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 strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

, founder of the Zingarelli Italian

dictionary A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged Alphabetical order, alphabetically (or by Semitic root, consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical-and-stroke sorting, radical an ...

Giuseppe Di Vittorio Giuseppe Di Vittorio (11 August 1892 – 3 November 1957), also known as Mario Nicoletti, was an Italian trade union leader and communist politician. He was one of the most influential trade union leaders of the labour movement after World War ...

syndicalist Syndicalism is a labour movement within society that, through industrial unionism, seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes and other forms of direct action, with the eventual goal of gainin ...

Sport

The local football team is the Audace Cerignola, and its home ground is the Domenico Monterisi Stadium.Audace Cerignola official website
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International relations

Cerignola is twinned with: * Vizzini,

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 Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Nemours Nemours () is a Communes of France, commune in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France Regions of France, region in north-central France. Geography Nemours is located on the Loing and its canal, c. south of M ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

References

Sources

External links

Official website

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