Cerignola Stadium

Cerignola (Italian pronunciation: [tʃeriɲˈɲɔːla]; Cerignolano: Ceregnoule [tʃərəɲˈɲɔwlə] (listen)) is a town and comune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast from the town of Foggia. It has the third-largest land area of any comune in Italy, at 593.71 square kilometres (229.23 sq mi), after Rome and Ravenna. In 2017, it had a population of 58,534.

History

Cerignola occupies the site of Furfane, a station on the ancient Roman Via Traiana between Canusium and Herdoniae.

It was a municipium during the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages, as part of the Kingdom of Naples, in 1418 it became a fief of the Caracciolo family.

In 1503 the Spaniards under Gonzalo de Cordoba defeated the French under Louis d'Armagnac (6th Duke of Nemours) below the town, a victory which ensured Spain the rule over the kingdom of Naples (see battle of Cerignola) 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.