My mom’s family if from Toritto and Acquaviva Delle Fonti, Bari. Although, I do have come ancient de Hautville ancestors from the region on my dad’s side. My uncle Giovanni stayed behind when my grandparents came to America, and raised his family there until the late 1940’s. My cousins have an interview that they did with him in Barese and I hope to someday have that translation. My great grandfather, Francesco, owned a cow and would go door to door, with the cow and Uncle Giovanni and deliver milk.
Francesco Nicoletti, Maria Carnevale and Giovanni Nicoletti
More Stories in my book
Puglia, also called Apulia, regione,southeastern Italy. It extends from the Fortore River in the northwest to Cape Santa Maria di Leuca at the tip of the Salentine Peninsula (the “heel” of Italy) and comprises the provincieof Bari, Barletta-Andria-Trani, Brindisi, Foggia, Lecce, and Taranto. The northern third of the region is centred on the Puglia Tableland, which is flanked on the north by the limestone massif of Gargano Promontory (the “spur” of the peninsula) and on the west by the Neapolitan Apennines. The central third is occupied by the low Murge plateau, which slopes gradually to the narrow coastal plains of the Adriatic Sea in the east. The Salentine Peninsula consists of the lowlands of Lecce, Taranto, and Brindisi and low plateaus east of Taranto and south of Lecce. The main rock material of Puglia is limestone, except on the coastline, which is mostly low and sandy. The only major rivers are the Fortore and the Ofanto, both in the north, but there are many springs. The absence of surface water over large areas led to construction of the Apulian Aqueduct (1906–39), largest of its kind in Italy, which supplies the region with water from the Sele River on the western slope of the Apennine watershed.
Consisting of the areas of ancient Apulia and part of ancient Calabria, Puglia was ruled in the early Middle Ages by Goths, Lombards, and Byzantines and knew its greatest glory under the Hohenstaufen emperors. It was a favourite of the 13th-century Holy Roman emperor Frederick II, and Romanesque cathedrals and palaces bear witness to the flowering of Puglia at that time. Thereafter a long period of decline set in, accentuated by the neglect of its distant rulers (French, Spanish, Austrian, Neapolitan, Bourbon) and by Arab slave raids along the coast. In 1860 Puglia became part of the Italian kingdom.
The region is predominantly agricultural. Wheat, barley, and oats are grown on the plain and in the more fertile parts of the plateaus, while olives, grapes, almonds, figs, and vegetables predominate farther south; tobacco is a specialty of the Lecce Plain. The wines of Puglia are the strongest in Italy and are used to fortify other, lighter varieties. Fishing is carried on in many ports, particularly those of the Gargano Promontory and in Barletta, Monopoli, and Taranto. Nomadic sheepherding is still extensive, although it has decreased in importance. Salt is produced from seawater at Margherita di Savoia near Foggia, and bauxite is mined on the Gargano. While small food-processing industries are widespread, industry is largely concentrated at Bari (chemicals and petrochemicals), the regional capital; Taranto (iron and steel); and Brindisi and Barletta. Foggia is the main rail centre, with connections to all parts of the peninsula. Area 7,470 square miles (19,348 square km). Pop. (2006 est.) 4,071,518.
THE HISTORY OF PUGLIA – The Thinking Traveller
The Thinking Traveller villas in Puglia >>
Back to the guide to Puglia >>
Puglia’s history, like that of so many parts of southern Italy, is a tangled web indeed! Its strategic position and its fertile soil made it an attractive proposition for colonization and all the usual suspects, Mediterranean and non, invaded at one time or another. While exploitation was usually the name of the game, each conqueror bequeathed a cultural, architectonic and gastronomic patrimonywhose fascinating eclecticism remains for all to see.
Here below is a brief summary of Puglia’s multifaceted history:
1st millennium BC– Illyric and Italic peoples settle.
8th century BC– Greeks from Sparta begin to arrive, reaching the south-eastern tip and the Gulf of Taranto, where they found Tarentum, amongst others.
272BC – the Romans oust the Greeks and rapidly colonise the region. Wheat, olive oil and wine are produced en masse to help feed the mouths of the expanding empire.
216 BC– Hannibal crushes Roman forces at Cannae in Puglia (one of their worst ever defeats) during the Second Punic War, but the Romans eventually retain control of the region, which continues to thrive as an agricultural centre and trading post for the east.
190BC –the Romans complete the Via Appia, linking Rome with Puglia. The amphitheatre in Leccedates from around 100 years later.
476 AD– fall of the Roman Empire.
488 AD– Italy and Puglia fall under the control of the Ostrogoths.
6th century– the Lombards arrive, establishing a short-lasting Kingdom of Italy. Puglia is in Byzantine hands until the 11th century, notwithstanding occasional Saracen incursions. The island town of Gallipoliis fortified.
1059– Robert Guiscard, a Norman, forms the Duchy of Apulia. Later in the century the Normans conquer Sicily where they establish their power base. Puglia becomes a provincial outpost under Norman rule.
1087– Sailors bring the relics of San Nicola to Bariand the Basilica di San Nicola is built in this period.
1200 circa– Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, aka “Stupor Mundi” inherits Puglia, where he spends much of his time when away from Sicily. His enlightened reign sees a flourishing of the arts and a period of relative peace and prosperity. Many of his castles, such as Castello Svevo in Trani and Castel del Monte in Andria, survive, along with some wonderful Romanesque constructions such as the Cattedrale di San Sabino in Bari.
13th century– the French Angevins arrive and Puglia becomes part of the Kingdom of Naples.
1480– a Turkish force under the command of Gedik Ahmed Pasha lays siege to Otranto. On capturing the town, all male inhabitants over the age of 15 (numbers in the 1000s) are killed. The aging Archbishop, refusing to renounce his faith, is cut into pieces in public and his decapitated head paraded through the town on a pike.
1500– King Ferdinand V of Aragon takes the reins and Otranto, Bariand Taranto are fortified against Turkish invasions.
1713– the Treaty of Utrecht grants Puglia to Austria
1734 – the Spanish defeat Austria at the Battle of Bitonto and reclaim Puglia as their own. The Turks and the Venetians attack repeatedly hoping to gain a foothold in the region.
1806-1815– the French take control, abolishing feudalism and reforming the justice system.
1861– Puglia joins the united Italy during the Risorgimento.
1922– Mussolini intensifies the production of grain, olives and wine as Italy attempts to become self-sufficient.
1943– the Allied invasion ousts German forces, and the ports of Bari, Brindisi and Taranto undergo heavy bombing from both sides.
Uncle Giovanni and Family c 1940 in Toritto
Life in Toritto, Bari 1909 – 1950 ( as told by Giovanni Nicoletti )
I have always been a student of history, which is one of the reasons that I began researching my family. Last year, about this time. I learned that my uncle Giovanni’s youngest son, Joe, had taped several conversations he had with his dad. Joe and his sister Vita, were able to translate from the original Barese into English. Here is the summary written by Joe. With some awesome photos. At the bottom you will find
History of Bari with Vintage Photos
Join Italian Roots and Genealogy on Facebook Bari montage very nice Francesco Nicoletti and Maria Carnevale with their grandson Giovanni My mom’s family comes from Bari and in fact her oldest brother did not migrate from there until after WWII. My grandmother’s family was from Acquaviva delle Fonti and my grandfather’s from Toritto. Like most people from Bari at the time, most of the men farmers and many of the women were seamstresses. I have
Researching Biccari, Foggia, Puglia
A moment and a movement; New Biccari. With Erick and Giuseppe Lucera and Rich Leto The book illustrates how a moment in time when the author returned to his ancestral village let to research into the movement of people from Biccari to Philadelphia. Erick along with cousins in Italy Gennaro and Giuseppe Lucera trace the 1200 Biccarese citizens to America, ending up mostly Philadelphia. Using data analytics and his cousin’s local stories from previously published
Researching Campania and Puglia
Nancy Triggiani-Musco talks about starting her research young and how eventually a discovery on an overlooked census led her to completing her Italian citizenship. Nancy and her husband run a music studio in NJ and you can view her interesting links below. My husband and I own a music school in northern New Jersey and I’m attaching the link to it, as it has important relevance to my Italian family history. https://www.westwoodmusicstudios.com My bio from
Researching Calabria and Puglia
Leto Family Visit Our Shop Rich Leto talks about when and why he started researching his family from Calabria and Puglia and when they arrived in Philadelphia. Also, what it was like growing up Italian in Philly. Podcast Click here to join our group on Facebook Video
Researching Matera Puglia and Campoli Appennino Lazio
Graziella Paolicelli Bob and Desire talk about her family roots in Matera Puglia and Campoli Appennino Lazio Click here to join our group on Facebook Find on the map My Italian cousin Graziamaria and I in Milan 2008 Graziamaria and me in 2019 Colucci’s visit Ferrandina Colucci’s visit Matera
Thanks for all this History.
Visited Puglia a few years ago, and it is beautiful.
San Giovanni Rotondo is home to Padre Pio, with an old and Modern church( designed by Renzo Piano).
Padre Pio’s body is in the Old Church.
State of the art hospital for Southern Italy is there, too.
Very popular pilgrimage site for Catholics from all over Europe.
On a recent visit to Italy, Father Pio’s photo was in Many churches in the Italian Riviera, and the Cinque Terre. He is much revered!