Massafra
Encyclopedia
Massafra is a town and comune
in the province of Taranto
in the Apulia
region of southeast Italy
.
. The first historical mention of the city dates however from the 10th century, when it was a Lombard
gastald
ate.
After the Norman conquest of southern Italy, it was given to a nephew of Robert Guiscard
, who fortified it and restored the castle. Later it was part of the Principality of Taranto
, to which, as a free town, it belonged until 1463. In 1484 it was assigned to Antonio Piscitello. In 1497 it was sacked by the troops of Charles VIII of France
, and the fief went to Artusio Pappacoda, whose family held it for a century and a half. They were succedeed by the Carmignano and the Imperiale.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
in the province of Taranto
Province of Taranto
The Province of Taranto is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Taranto.It has an area of 2,437 km², and a total population of 580,588...
in the Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
region of southeast Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
History
According to some hypotheses, Massafra was founded in the 5th century by refugees from the Roman province of Africa, invaded by the VandalsVandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
. The first historical mention of the city dates however from the 10th century, when it was a Lombard
Duchy of Benevento
The Duchy and later Principality of Benevento was the southernmost Lombard duchy in medieval Italy, centred on Benevento, a city central in the Mezzogiorno. Owing to the Ducatus Romanus of the popes, which cut it off from the rest of Lombard Italy, Benevento was from the first practically...
gastald
Gastald
A gastald was a Lombard official in charge of some portion of the royal demesne with civil, martial, and judicial powers. By the Edictum Rothari of 643, the gastalds were given the civil authority in the cities and the reeves the like authority in the countryside...
ate.
After the Norman conquest of southern Italy, it was given to a nephew of Robert Guiscard
Robert Guiscard
Robert d'Hauteville, known as Guiscard, Duke of Apulia and Calabria, from Latin Viscardus and Old French Viscart, often rendered the Resourceful, the Cunning, the Wily, the Fox, or the Weasel was a Norman adventurer conspicuous in the conquest of southern Italy and Sicily...
, who fortified it and restored the castle. Later it was part of the Principality of Taranto
Principality of Taranto
The Principality of Taranto was a state in southern Italy created in 1088 for Bohemond I, eldest son of Robert Guiscard, as part of the peace between him and his younger brother Roger Borsa after a dispute over the succession to the Duchy of Apulia....
, to which, as a free town, it belonged until 1463. In 1484 it was assigned to Antonio Piscitello. In 1497 it was sacked by the troops of Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII of France
Charles VIII, called the Affable, , was King of France from 1483 to his death in 1498. Charles was a member of the House of Valois...
, and the fief went to Artusio Pappacoda, whose family held it for a century and a half. They were succedeed by the Carmignano and the Imperiale.
Main sights
- Numerous rock settlements, from the NeolithicNeolithicThe Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
to the High Middle Ages - Castle of MassafraCastle of MassafraThe Massafra Castle is located in the historic center of Massafra, the resort overlooks the ravine Pizzo and San Marco. Its structure and architectural motifs are similar to other castles in Puglia, with four towers arranged wishbone and linked by boundary walls...
, known from 970. - Mother Church (16th century)
- Natural reserves of Monte Sant'Elia and Stornara