Castelnuovo della Daunia
Castelnuovo della Daunia: a town of Slavic roots
Castelnuovo della Daunia is a small but picturesque town in the province of Foggia, in Puglia. With a population of 1,263 inhabitants, the town has an interesting history that dates back to the arrival of the Slavs in Italy in the 7th century. The village, which was then called Castrum Sclavorum or Castelluccio de’ Sclavis, was founded by these Slavic populations who, coming from Illyria (today's Dalmatia), settled on the Puglian coasts. These groups reached the area of Castelnuovo, where they mixed with the pre-existing Italo-Greek community to create the first settlement nucleus of the town. At the time, Castelnuovo was one of the many fortified villages built with walls on the hills of the Subappennino.
Castelnuovo in history
The town was a fiefdom of the Parisio family, of Norman origin, until it passed under the control of other lords, such as Guido d'Alemagna, Giovanni d'Acerno, and Niccolò d'Alemagna in the 14th century. In 1400, Giovannone Torto became the lord of the town, succeeded by Ursillo Minutolo, the royal captain in Lucera. The town finally passed into the hands of the violent Sangro family, under whom it became a marquisate and changed its original name to Castelnuovo. Castelnuovo remained under their control until the period of the abolitionist laws of feudalism in 1806.
The arrival of the Arbëreshë
Between 1468 and 1476, many Arbëreshë refugees arrived in this village, fleeing the massacres committed in their Albania by the Turks. However, despite the differences and the continuous episodes of impatience, the difficult coexistence of these refugees with the community continued even beyond the first decades of the sixteenth century, when the Albanians abandoned the village to populate the nearby hamlet that depended on it, reported in ancient documents as "Sanctus Petrus de Castelluccio," later becoming Casalvecchio di Puglia.
The change of name
On April 18, 1863, an important event in the history of Castelnuovo della Daunia occurred: the town acquired its current name on the decision of the Municipal Council, which wanted to distinguish it from the many homonymous municipalities that had recently become part of the national entity, adding the denomination of Daunia to the old denomination of Castelnuovo.
The town's architecture
The airy layout of the town, with its wide streets, large central square, and spacious Largo Imbriani and Piazza Gabriele Canelli, profoundly differentiates the town from the neighboring ones on the Daunian hills. It is precisely these piazzas, so unusual in a town, that, by giving breathing space to the steep alleys of the historic center, soften the slope of the hill and become an aggregating and distinctive element of the three main neighborhoods of the town: la Villa, Piazza Plebiscito, and Piano della Maddalena.
Conclusions
In general, Castelnuovo della Daunia represents a unique historical and cultural example in Italy. The combination of Slavic and Italian history, the presence of the Arbëreshë, and the rhythmic urban layout make this town unique of its kind. It is certainly worth visiting to admire the interesting history of the village and the beauty of its architecture.
