Andria

Like most of the towns in Puglia, Andria has very ancient origins, dating back to the period of Greek colonization. In the Middle Ages, it emerged as one of the favourite residences of the Emperor Frederick II of Swabia, near which, on the site of a former Benedictine abbey, he built his most famous work, Castel del Monte. After various vicissitudes experienced under the Angevins and then under the Aragonese, Andria looked closely upon the famous “Challenge of Barletta”, won by Italian knights led by Ettore Fieramosca against French opponents. After the final conquest of the kingdom of Naples, King Ferdinand the Catholic assigned Andria to the “Great Captain”, Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, the commander of the Spanish army in the war that had just ended. The city was later sold, in 1552, to Fabrizio Carafa, the Count of Rufo and relative of Pope Paul IV, and would remain under the control of the Carafa for the entire Early Modern age.