Gioia del Colle
Encyclopedia
Gioia del Colle (ˈdʒɔja del ˈkɔlle; literally Joy of the Hill, also known as Scioo - Joy - in Apulia
n dialect
) is a town and comune
in the province of Bari
, Apulia
, Italy
. The town is located on the Murge plateau
at 360 metres above sea level.
in the area now known as Gioia del Colle dates back to the 7th century BC
. Archaeological excavations have revealed that at that time a Peucetian
village was located in the area of Monte Sannace (about 3 miles from Gioia).
The current town developed around an old Byzantine
fortress. The placename, in fact, seems to derive from Joha, short for the surname Joannakis, a Byzantine family living in the area during the Middle Ages
. However, there are many theories regarding the origin of this placename. One of the most famous local legends has it that Princess Bianca Lancia
irretrievably lost all her jewels there, after being supposedly confined in the Castle of Gioia del Colle during her pregnancy with her son Manfred of Sicily
under the suspicion of having been unfaithful to Frederick II
. Since gioia means both joy and jewel in Italian
, the toponym would then mean "jewels scattered all around the hill".
The town grew further in the 12th century, during the time of Norman
Count Riccardo Siniscalco d'Altavilla, who built the Castle of Gioia del Colle, which was, then, destroyed by William the Wicked. In the 13th century the fief was under the rule of Frederick II of Swabia
, who rebuilt the castle.
Gioia del Colle was a principality
of Taranto
and a fief of the princes De Mari of Acquaviva delle Fonti
until the abolition of feudalism
.
, the castle was rebuilt in 1230 by Emperor Frederick II
after his return from the Crusades
. It is speculated that Frederick would stay there during his hunting expeditions. The castle was then completed by the Angevins, who created windows in the curtain wall.
The later owners between 1600 and 1800 (the Acquavivas family of Aragon, the De Mari and Donna Maria Emanuela Caracciolo) changed the castle so that it no longer had the appearance of a fort. According to Bonaventura da Lama (who quoted the historian Pantaleo) Bianca Lancia was confined in this castle while pregnant with Manfred of Sicily, on suspicion of having been unfaithful to Frederick II. In fact, on the wall of a cell (which is likely to have been the princess') are carved shapes which according to a local legend are intended to represent her breasts, which she cut off in pain at being so humiliated. After giving birth, she sent the alleged illegitimate child to the emperor on a silver platter together with her breasts. According to others, this is merely a legend: Bianca Lancia chose to legitimise the children she had borne during their relationship by undergoing a legal marriage shortly before she died. Still others hold that it was Frederick II who died after the wedding.
decennial census figures, the population of Gioia del Colle was 17,583 in 1861; it fell to 13,256 in 1871, but then rose to a high of 28,645 in 1961. After a decline to a recent low of 26,290 in 1991, it has been rising and in 2009 was 27,910.
, who fuelled the debate about the art of the cinema during his stay in Paris
, Gioia del Colle has been the location of filming of three films, in different periods:
, dairy farming
and commerce. The town is famous for its Fior di latte mozzarella
and its Gioia del Colle Primitivo wine
.
, sweet dolce and fortified liquoroso wines are permitted in the Italian wine DOC of the area. Red and rose wine grapes are limited to a harvest
yield of 12 tonnes/ha while white wine grapes are limited to a yield of 13 tonnes/ha. The reds and roses are a blend of 50-60% Primitivo, a 40-50% blend component of Montepulciano
, Sangiovese
, Negroamaro
and Malvasia
(with Malvasia being further limited to a 10% maximum). The whites are composed of 50-70% Trebbiano
with other permitted local grape varieties making up the remainder. A varietal
Primitivo wine is permitted, provided the wine is 100% composed of the grape with yields limited to 8 tonnes/ha and a minimum alcohol level of 13%. The dolce wine of the area is composed of at least 85% Aleatico
with a 15% maximum blend component of Malvasia, Negroamaro and Primitivo making up the rest. The grapes must also be limited to a harvest yield of 8 tonnes/ha and have a minimum alcohol level of 15%. The liquroso version must have a minimum alcohol of 18.5%.
hosts the 36th Italian Air Force
Wing.
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...
n dialect
Italian dialects
Dialects of Italian are regional varieties of the Italian language, more commonly and more accurately referred to as Regional Italian. The dialects have features, most notably phonological and lexical, percolating from the underlying substrate languages...
) is a town and comune
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 Bari
Province of Bari
The Province of Bari is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Bari.It has an area of 5,138 km², and a total population of 1,594,109 . There are 48 comuni in the province, see Comuni of the Province of Bari...
, 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...
, 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...
. The town is located on the Murge plateau
Murgia
Murgia is a sub-region of Apulia in southern Italy, corresponding to a karst topographic plateau of rectangular shape, occupying the central area of the region. The name stems from the Latin murex, meaning "sharp stone"....
at 360 metres above sea level.
History
The earliest evidence of human settlementColonisation
Colonization occurs whenever any one or more species populate an area. The term, which is derived from the Latin colere, "to inhabit, cultivate, frequent, practice, tend, guard, respect", originally related to humans. However, 19th century biogeographers dominated the term to describe the...
in the area now known as Gioia del Colle dates back to the 7th century BC
7th century BC
The 7th century BC started the first day of 700 BC and ended the last day of 601 BC.The Assyrian Empire continued to dominate the Near East during this century, exercising formidable power over neighbors like Babylon and Egypt. In the last two decades of the century, however, the empire began to...
. Archaeological excavations have revealed that at that time a Peucetian
Peucetii
The Peucetii were a tribe who were living in Apulia, southern Italy, in the country behind Barion...
village was located in the area of Monte Sannace (about 3 miles from Gioia).
The current town developed around an old Byzantine
Byzantium
Byzantium was an ancient Greek city, founded by Greek colonists from Megara in 667 BC and named after their king Byzas . The name Byzantium is a Latinization of the original name Byzantion...
fortress. The placename, in fact, seems to derive from Joha, short for the surname Joannakis, a Byzantine family living in the area during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. However, there are many theories regarding the origin of this placename. One of the most famous local legends has it that Princess Bianca Lancia
Bianca Lancia
Bianca Lancia d'Agliano was an Italian noblewoman, who was the mistress and later wife of emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen, although the marriage, conducted while she was on her deathbed, was considered non-canonical.- Family :Born ca...
irretrievably lost all her jewels there, after being supposedly confined in the Castle of Gioia del Colle during her pregnancy with her son Manfred of Sicily
Manfred of Sicily
Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...
under the suspicion of having been unfaithful to Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
. Since gioia means both joy and jewel in Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, the toponym would then mean "jewels scattered all around the hill".
The town grew further in the 12th century, during the time of Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
Count Riccardo Siniscalco d'Altavilla, who built the Castle of Gioia del Colle, which was, then, destroyed by William the Wicked. In the 13th century the fief was under the rule of Frederick II of Swabia
Frederick II, Duke of Swabia
Frederick II , called the One-Eyed, was the second Hohenstaufen duke of Swabia from 1105. He was the eldest son of Frederick I and Agnes....
, who rebuilt the castle.
Gioia del Colle was a principality
Principality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
of Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
and a fief of the princes De Mari of Acquaviva delle Fonti
Acquaviva delle Fonti
Acquaviva delle Fonti is a town and comune in the province of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy.-Buildings:Acquaviva Cathedral is located here, since 1986 a co-cathedral in the Diocese of Altamura-Gravina-Acquaviva delle Fonti.-Famous people from Acquaviva delle Fonti:*Roberto Colaninno,...
until the abolition of feudalism
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
.
Castle of Gioia del Colle
The Castle of Gioia del Colle was built in the 12th century, during the time of Norman Count Riccardo Siniscalco d'Altavilla, the first tenant of the fief. Destroyed by William the Wicked of SicilyWilliam I of Sicily
William I , called the Bad or the Wicked, was the second king of Sicily, ruling from his father's death in 1154 to his own...
, the castle was rebuilt in 1230 by Emperor Frederick II
Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor
Frederick II , was one of the most powerful Holy Roman Emperors of the Middle Ages and head of the House of Hohenstaufen. His political and cultural ambitions, based in Sicily and stretching through Italy to Germany, and even to Jerusalem, were enormous...
after his return from the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
. It is speculated that Frederick would stay there during his hunting expeditions. The castle was then completed by the Angevins, who created windows in the curtain wall.
The later owners between 1600 and 1800 (the Acquavivas family of Aragon, the De Mari and Donna Maria Emanuela Caracciolo) changed the castle so that it no longer had the appearance of a fort. According to Bonaventura da Lama (who quoted the historian Pantaleo) Bianca Lancia was confined in this castle while pregnant with Manfred of Sicily, on suspicion of having been unfaithful to Frederick II. In fact, on the wall of a cell (which is likely to have been the princess') are carved shapes which according to a local legend are intended to represent her breasts, which she cut off in pain at being so humiliated. After giving birth, she sent the alleged illegitimate child to the emperor on a silver platter together with her breasts. According to others, this is merely a legend: Bianca Lancia chose to legitimise the children she had borne during their relationship by undergoing a legal marriage shortly before she died. Still others hold that it was Frederick II who died after the wedding.
Demography
According to ISTATIstituto Nazionale di Statistica
Istituto Nazionale di Statistica is the Italian national statistical institute.-History:Istat was created in 1926 to collect and organize essential data about the nation. Administering the census is one of its activities...
decennial census figures, the population of Gioia del Colle was 17,583 in 1861; it fell to 13,256 in 1871, but then rose to a high of 28,645 in 1961. After a decline to a recent low of 26,290 in 1991, it has been rising and in 2009 was 27,910.
Cinema
In addition to being the birthplace of Ricciotto CanudoRicciotto Canudo
Ricciotto Canudo was an early Italian film theoretician who lived primarily in France. He saw cinema as "plastic art in motion". He gave cinema the label "the Seventh Art", which is still current in French....
, who fuelled the debate about the art of the cinema during his stay in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Gioia del Colle has been the location of filming of three films, in different periods:
- Some scenes of Idillio Infranto (1931), a silent filmSilent filmA silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
directed by MilaneseMilaneseMilanese is the central variety of the Western Lombard language spoken in the city and province of Milan....
Nello Mauri, were shot in the town centre and in the countryside of Gioia del Colle. - The Castle of Gioia del Colle was the set for some scenes of Il Vangelo secondo Matteo (1964) by Pier Paolo PasoliniPier Paolo PasoliniPier Paolo Pasolini was an Italian film director, poet, writer, and intellectual. Pasolini distinguished himself as a poet, journalist, philosopher, linguist, novelist, playwright, filmmaker, newspaper and magazine columnist, actor, painter and political figure...
. - Terra bruciata (1999), the debut film of director Fabio Segatori starring Raoul BovaRaoul BovaRaoul Bova is an Italian actor.Bova was born in Rome to Calabrian parents. At the age of 16 he became a local champion in the 100 meter backstroke. At the age of 21 he joined the Italian Army and performed his military duty in the Bersaglieri corps...
, Giancarlo GianniniGiancarlo GianniniGiancarlo Giannini is an Italian actor and dubber.Giannini was born La Spezia, Liguria, Italy. He studied at the Accademia Nazionale d'Arte Drammatica in Rome, and made his film debut in a small part in Fango sulla metropoli in 1965...
, Michele PlacidoMichele PlacidoMichele Placido is an internationally known Italian actor and director. He is best known for the role of Corrado Cattani in the TV series La Piovra.-Life and career:...
and Bianca GuacceroBianca GuacceroBianca Guaccero , is an Italian cinema, theatre, and television actress.In February 2010, she resumed her notable role of Carolina Scapece in the Rai Uno mini-series Capri 3. She had played the same part of the conniving Caroline in the first and second Capri series...
, was set in Goia del Colle.
Notable people associated with Gioia del Colle
- Gigi Angelillo, actor.
- Ricciotto CanudoRicciotto CanudoRicciotto Canudo was an early Italian film theoretician who lived primarily in France. He saw cinema as "plastic art in motion". He gave cinema the label "the Seventh Art", which is still current in French....
, intellectual and theorist of the cinema. - Mario Rosini, musician.
- Francis Romano, painter.
- Gino Donvito, painter.
- Giovanni Mastrangelo, politician, journalist and poet.
- Nicola LegrottaglieNicola LegrottaglieNicola Legrottaglie is an Italian footballer who plays for Calcio Catania in Serie A, as a central defender.-Early years:...
, Italian soccer player. - Pino Aprile, Italian journalist and writer.
- Maurizio VascoMaurizio vascoMaurizio P. Vasco, television director, video journalist, author and chefwas born in Italy and raised amid Apulia, Tuscany and Milan where he studied History, Photography and Television after he attended the Naval School of La Maddalena-Sardinia....
, author and journalist, living in NYC. - Sergeant Romano, of the BourbonKingdom of the Two SiciliesThe Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
army. (it.) - Rogeri de Pacienza di Nardò, Italian poet, the first to record the lyrics of a traditional Serbian epic songSerbian epic poetrySerb epic poetry is a form of epic poetry written by Serbs originating in today's Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Montenegro. The main cycles were composed by unknown Serb authors between the 14th and 19th centuries...
, in Gioia del Colle in 1497.
Events
- Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in MontursiMontursiMontursi is a frazione or section of the comune of Gioia del Colle, in the Province of Bari, Italy...
, 1 May - Feast of the patron saint Philip NeriPhilip NeriSaint Philip Romolo Neri , also known as Apostle of Rome, was an Italian priest, noted for founding a society of secular priests called the "Congregation of the Oratory".-Early life:...
, 26 May - Feast of Saint Vitus the Martyr, 15 June
- Feast of Saint Roch, 16 August
- Celebration of the mozzarella, August
- Celebration of the new wine, September
- Feast of the Pupo Fritto in Montursi, September
- Feast of Saint LucySaint LucySaint Lucy , also known as Saint Lucia, was a wealthy young Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint by Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and Orthodox Christians. Her feast day in the West is 13 December; with a name derived from lux, lucis "light", she is the patron saint of those who are...
, 13 December
Economy
The economy of Gioia del Colle is centred around agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
and commerce. The town is famous for its Fior di latte mozzarella
Mozzarella
Mozzarella is an Italian Traditional Speciality Guaranteed food product. The term is used for several kinds of Italian cheeses that are made using spinning and then cutting :...
and its Gioia del Colle Primitivo wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
.
Gioia del Colle DOC
Red, white, roseRose
A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
, sweet dolce and fortified liquoroso wines are permitted in the Italian wine DOC of the area. Red and rose wine grapes are limited to a harvest
Harvest (wine)
The harvesting of wine grapes is one of the most crucial steps in the process of winemaking. The time of harvest is determined primarily by the ripeness of the grape as measured by sugar, acid and tannin levels with winemakers basing their decision to pick based on the style of wine they wish to...
yield of 12 tonnes/ha while white wine grapes are limited to a yield of 13 tonnes/ha. The reds and roses are a blend of 50-60% Primitivo, a 40-50% blend component of Montepulciano
Montepulciano (grape)
Montepulciano is a red Italian wine grape variety that is most noted for being the primary grape behind the Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita wine Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Colline Teramane and the Denominazione di origine controllata wines of Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno.It should...
, Sangiovese
Sangiovese
Sangiovese is a red Italian wine grape variety whose name derives from the Latin sanguis Jovis, "the blood of Jove"...
, Negroamaro
Negroamaro
Negroamaro, also Negro amaro, is a red wine grape variety native to southern Italy. It is grown almost exclusively in Puglia and particularly in Salento, the peninsula which can be visualised as the “heel” of Italy. The grape can produce wines very deep in color. Wines made from Negroamaro tend to...
and Malvasia
Malvasia
Malvasia is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world...
(with Malvasia being further limited to a 10% maximum). The whites are composed of 50-70% Trebbiano
Trebbiano
Trebbiano is the second most widely planted grape in the world. It gives good yields, but makes undistinguished wine at best. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Its high acidity makes it important in Cognac production...
with other permitted local grape varieties making up the remainder. A varietal
Varietal
"Varietal" describes wines made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label. Examples of grape varieties commonly used in varietal wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot...
Primitivo wine is permitted, provided the wine is 100% composed of the grape with yields limited to 8 tonnes/ha and a minimum alcohol level of 13%. The dolce wine of the area is composed of at least 85% Aleatico
Aleatico
Aleatico is a red wine grape. Ampelographers suspect that Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains may be a mutation of the Aleatico cultivar. Aleatico is notable for being the primary grape in the cult wine Aleatico di Portoferraio made in Elba. It is grown most commonly in the Puglia and Lazio region of...
with a 15% maximum blend component of Malvasia, Negroamaro and Primitivo making up the rest. The grapes must also be limited to a harvest yield of 8 tonnes/ha and have a minimum alcohol level of 15%. The liquroso version must have a minimum alcohol of 18.5%.
Infrastructure and transport
Gioia del Colle Air BaseGioia del Colle Air Base
Gioia del Colle Air Base is an Italian Air Force base located in the province of Bari, Apulia, Italy, located approximately 4 km south-southeast of Gioia del Colle.-World War II:...
hosts the 36th Italian Air Force
Italian Air Force
The Italian Air Force has gone under different names in different periods:*Regia Aeronautica , from 1923 to June 1946*Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, the air force of Italian Social Republic during World War II...
Wing.
Trivia
- The song L'onorevole Bricolle by Clara Jaione (1948), which Claudio VillaClaudio VillaClaudio Villa may refer to:*Claudio Villa , Italian singer*Claudio Villa , Italian comics artist*Claudio Villas Boas , Brazilian activist...
later famously interpreted, is about the wry story of a fictitious "Honorable Bricolle, a Member of ParliamentItalian Chamber of DeputiesThe Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...
from Gioia del Colle".