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Francavilla Fontana is a town and municipality (comune) in the province of Brindisi (Puglia, southern Italy).
[edit] History
The name Francavilla has French-Norman origins: "Franca" (tax-free) and "villa" (town). The specification Fontana ("fountain") alludes to a vision of the Virgin Mary witnessed by a Prince, who hence declaring the town a tax-free haven, according to the local legend.
[edit] Main sights
- The massive square Castle (Palazzo Imperiali) of the Imperiali family, to whom, with Oria, it was sold by S. Carlo Borromeo in the 16th century for 40,000 ounces of gold, which he distributed in one day to the poor.
- Mother Church, built from 1743 over a former Angevine edifice.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
Coordinates: 40°32′N, 17°35′E
Italy
