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Home > Travel Italy > Italy Destinations > Manfredonia
Manfredonia
Italy, officially the Italian Republic or Repubblica Italiana, is a Southern European country comprising of the Po River valley, the Italian Peninsula and the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. It is shaped like a boot and for this reason Italians commonly call it lo Stivale, the boot or, due to its prevalent peninsular geographical nature, la Penisola, the Peninsula.
Manfredonia is a town and community of Puglia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is 35 kilometers northeast by rail. It is situated on the coast, facing east, to the south of Monte Gargano, and giving its name to the gulf to the east of it. The area of present Manfredonia was settled in ancient times by the Dauni, who travelled here from Illyria. Their colony is possibly to be identified with Sipontum, the modern Siponto that, according to a legend, was founded by Diomedes. The flourishing Greek colony, having fallen into the hands of the Samnites, was retaken about 335 B. C. by King Alexander of Epirus.
In 189 B. C. Sipontum was conquered by the Romans and became a colony of citizens. It was a port at the junction of the road which basiscally followed the Adriatic coast and a road trough Luceria, Arpi, Aecae and Aequum Tuticum connecting at Beneventum to the Via Appia.
The modern city of Manfredonia was built by King Manfred from1256 to 1263, some kilometers north of the ruins of the ancient Sipontum. The Angevine, who had overpowered Manfred and stripped him of the Kingdom of Sicily, christened it Sypontum Novellum, but that name never imposed. In 1528 Manfredonia opposed a French attack led by the Viscount of Lautrec.
A city known for its historic myths and traditions, scenic beauty, cooperative people and luxurious hotels and cottages, Manfredonia is one of the favorite holiday destinations for most of the vacation lovers.
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