Andria

For other uses, see Andria (disambiguation).
Andria
Comune
Città di Andria


Coat of arms
Andria

Location of Andria in Italy

Coordinates: 41°13′N 16°18′E / 41.217°N 16.300°E / 41.217; 16.300Coordinates: 41°13′N 16°18′E / 41.217°N 16.300°E / 41.217; 16.300
Country Italy
Region  Apulia
Province / Metropolitan city Barletta-Andria-Trani (BT)
Frazioni Castel del Monte, Montegrosso, Troianelli
Government
  Mayor Nicola Giorgino
Area
  Total 407.86 km2 (157.48 sq mi)
Elevation 151 m (495 ft)
Population (1 January 2016)[1]
  Total 100,440
  Density 250/km2 (640/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Andriesi
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
  Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 76123
Dialing code 0883
Patron saint Richard of Andria
Saint day April 4
Website Official website

Andria ([ˈandria]  listen ) is a city and comune 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, and Foggia) and the largest municipality of the new Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani, effective as of June 2009.[2] It is known for the 13th-century Castel del Monte.

History

Different theories exist about the origins of Andria. In 915 it is mentioned as a "casale" ("hamlet") depending from Trani; it acquired the status of city around 1046, when the Norman count Peter enlarged and fortified the settlements in the area (including also Barletta, Corato and Bisceglie).

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. 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. Later (1552), it was sold by the Spanish to Fabrizio Carafa, for the sum of 100,000 ducats.

The 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 brigandage era.

Geography

The city is located in the area of the Murgia and lies at a distance of 10 km (6.21 mi) from Barletta and the Adriatic coast. Its municipality, the 16th per area in Italy,[3] borders with Barletta, Canosa di Puglia, Corato (BA), Minervino Murge, Ruvo di Puglia (BA), Spinazzola and Trani.

Main sights

Porta Sant'Andrea.
The 13th-century church of Sant'Agostino.
Torre dell'orologio.

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 in 1996.[4]

Other sights include:

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, part of the Ferrovie del Nord Barese network managed by Ferrotramviaria. The nearest Trenitalia-FS (Italian national railroads) station is that of Barletta, 10 kilometres (6 miles) 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.[5]

The nearest airport is that of Bari, 45 kilometres (28 miles) away.

Sport

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

Notable people

International relations

Andria is twinned with:

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Andria.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/8/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.