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Francavilla Fontana

Field	Value
name	Francavilla Fontana
official_name	Comune di Francavilla Fontana
image_skyline	Scorcio di Piazza Umberto I in Francavilla Fontana (BR).jpg
image_caption	View of the "Umberto I" square
image_shield	Francavilla Fontana-Stemma.png
shield_size	px
image_map	Map of comune of Francavilla Fontana (province of Brindisi, region Apulia, Italy).svg
map_caption	Francavilla within the Province of Brindisi
pushpin_label_position	left
coordinates
region	Apulia
province	Brindisi (BR)
frazioni	Bax Capece
mayor	Antonello Denuzzo
area_total_km2	175
population_footnotes
population_total	36358
population_as_of	31 December 2017
population_demonym	Francavillesi
elevation_m	142
saint	Madonna della Fontana
day	September 14
postal_code	72021
area_code	0831
website

Francavilla Fontana (Francavillese: Francaìdda ) is a town and comune (municipality) in the Province of Brindisi, in the region of Apulia, southern Italy. It is also known as the "Town of the Imperiali" (Città degli Imperiali), referring to the Imperiali family, a noble lineage of feudal lords who ruled the area from the late 16th century until the 18th century.

As of 2017, Francavilla Fontana had a population of 36,358, making it the third most populous municipality in the province, after Brindisi and Fasano.

History

The name Francavilla has French-Norman origins: "Franca" (tax-free) and "villa" (town). The specification Fontana ("fountain") alludes to a vision of the Virgin Mary witnessed by Prince Filippo d'Angiò, who hence declaring the town a tax-free haven, according to the local legend.

Geography

Francavilla is located in the Altosalento, on the last Murge's hills, and it is equidistant, about 35 km, from Taranto and Brindisi. The municipality borders with Ceglie Messapica, Grottaglie, Latiano, Manduria, Oria, San Marzano di San Giuseppe, San Michele Salentino, San Vito dei Normanni, Sava and Villa Castelli.

Main sights

Minor Basilica of the Most Holy Rosary – A prominent religious structure in the heart of the town, known for its richly decorated Baroque façade and interior artworks. Constructed beginning in 1743 on the site of a previous medieval church built during the Angevin rule. It features Baroque architectural elements and serves as a major religious site in the city.
Palazzo Imperiali – A massive square-shaped castle that served as the residence of the Imperiali family, who ruled the town from the late 16th century. The building was acquired, along with the nearby town of Oria, from Saint Charles Borromeo in the 16th century for 40,000 ounces of gold. According to tradition, Borromeo distributed the entire sum in a single day to aid the poor and those afflicted by plague in Milan.
Torre dell'Orologio (Clock Tower) – Built in 1750, this watchtower with a functioning clock is a local landmark and a symbol of civic pride.

Transport

The town, 18 km east of Taranto-Grottaglie Airport, is served by the SS7 "Appia" highway. The local railway station is a junction point between the lines Taranto–Brindisi, owned by the national company FS, and Martina–Lecce, owned by FSE. It is served by regional and, on the Taranto-Brindisi line, by long-distance trains also.

Sport

The local football club is the Virtus Francavilla, that has its home ground in John Paul II Stadium.

People

Ottaviano Andriani (b. 1974), marathon runner
Cosimo Caliandro (1982–2011), middle-distance runner
Clementina Forleo (b. 1963), judge
Francesca Forleo-Brayda, painter
Giuseppe Renato Imperiali (1651–1737), cardinal
Michele Imperiali Simeana (1736–1782), prince
Giacomo Leone (b. 1971), long-distance runner
Francesco Ribezzo (b. 8 May 1875, died Lecce, 19 October 1952), glottologist - the science of tongues or languages; comparative philology, particularly the dialect of F. Fontana

Twin towns

ITA San Giovanni al Natisone, Italy

References

{{in lang. it [http://demo.istat.it/pop2016/index.html Source] {{Webarchive. link. (2017-06-26 : [[Istituto Nazionale di Statistica). ISTAT]] 2016
{{in lang. it [http://www.tuttitalia.it/puglia/46-francavilla-fontana/statistiche/indici-demografici-struttura-popolazione/ Population statistics of Francavilla Fontana (tuttaitalia.it)]. Data from [[Istituto Nazionale di Statistica. ISTAT]]
{{OSM. r. 40522. Francavilla Fontana
{{EB1911

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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