Brindisi ( ; ; ) is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Historically, the city has played an essential role in trade and culture due to its strategic position on the Italian Peninsula and its natural port on the Adriatic Sea. The city remains a major port for trade with the Balkan Peninsula, Greece and the Middle East. Its industries include agriculture, chemical works, and the generation of electricity.

From September 1943 to February 1944, Brindisi was the provisional government seat of the Kingdom of Italy.

Etymology

The name Brindisi derives from the Latin , which itself comes through the Greek (Βρεντέσιον) from the Messapic , meaning "head of a stag". This likely refers to the shape of the natural harbour, which resembles the head or antlers of a stag.

The root is related to the Albanian words bri, brî (plural: brini, brirë, brinë), meaning "horn" or "antler", from late Proto-Albanian *brina < earlier *brena.

Heraldry

The emblem of the city of Brindisi relates to certain unique characteristics of the ancient city of Brindisi, some of which are still visible today. The head of the deer derives from the Messapic name of the city Brention, a name inspired by the shape of the port city, which is reminiscent of the stag antlers. The emblem also contains the so-called "terminal pillar" of the Appian Way.

History

Ancient times

Several traditions concern its founders; one claims it was founded by the legendary hero Diomedes. The geographer Strabo says that it was colonized from Knossos in Crete.

Brindisi was originally a Messapian settlement predating the Roman expansion. The Latin name , through the Greek , is a corruption of the Messapian meaning "deer's head" and probably referring to the shape of the natural harbour. According to other sources, in 267 BC (245 BC), it was conquered by the Romans and became a Latin colony. The peninsula of the Punta lands, which is located in the outer harbor, has been identified as a Bronze Age village (16th century BC) where a group of huts, protected by a barrier of stones, yielded fragments of Mycenaean pottery. Herodotus spoke of the Mycenaean origin of these populations. The necropolis of Tor Pisana (south of the old town of Brindisi) returned Corinthian jars in the first half of the 7th century BC. The Brindisi Messapia certainly entertained strong business relationships with the opposite side of the Adriatic and the Greek populations of the Aegean Sea.

After the Punic Wars, it became a major center of Roman naval power and maritime trade. In the Social War, it received Roman citizenship and was made a free port by Sulla. It suffered, however, from a siege conducted by Caesar in 49 BC, part of Caesar's Civil War (Bell. Civ. i.) and was again attacked in 42 and 40 BC, with the latter giving rise to the Treaty of Brundisium between Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus in the autumn of the same year.

The poet Pacuvius was born here about 220 BC, and here the famous poet Virgil died in 19 BC. Under the Romans, Brundisium – a large city in its day with some 100,000 inhabitants – was an active port, the chief point of embarkation for Greece and the East, via Dyrrachium or Corcyra. It was connected with Rome by the Via Appia and the Via Traiana. The termination of the Via Appia, at the water's edge, was formerly flanked by two fine pillars. Only one remains, the second being misappropriated and removed to the neighbouring town of Lecce.

Middle Ages and modern times

thumb|left|16th century map of Brindisi by [[Piri Reis]]

Later, Brindisi was conquered by the Ostrogoths and reconquered by the Byzantine Empire in the 6th century AD. In 674, it was destroyed by the Lombards led by Romuald I of Benevento, but such a fine natural harbor meant that the city was soon rebuilt. In the 9th century, a Saracen settlement existed in the city's neighborhood, stormed in 836 by pirates.

In 1070, it was conquered by the Normans and became part of the Principality of Taranto and the Duchy of Apulia, and was the first rule of the Counts of Conversano. After the baronial revolt of 1132, owned by the will of Roger II of Sicily, the city recovered some of the splendor of the past during the period of the Crusades, when it regained the Episcopal See, saw the construction of the new cathedral and a castle with an essential new arsenal, and became a privileged port for the Holy Land. In 1156, a siege of Brindisi by the Byzantine Empire ended in a battle in which the besiegers were decisively defeated by the Sicilian Normans, ending the Byzantines' hopes of conquering Southern Italy.

It was in the cathedral of Brindisi that the wedding of King Roger III of Sicily took place. Emperor Frederick II married Queen Isabella II of Jerusalem on 9 November 1225 here and started from the port of Brindisi in 1227 for the Sixth Crusade. Frederick II erected a castle, with massive round towers, to guard the inner harbour; it later became a convict prison. Like other Pugliese ports, Brindisi, for a short while, was ruled by Venice, but was soon reconquered by Spain.

A plague devastated Brindisi in 1348; it was plundered in 1352 and 1383; and an earthquake struck the city in 1456.

On 19 May 2012, a bomb made of three gas cylinders, detonated in front of a vocational school in Brindisi, killing a 16-year-old female student.

Geography

Brindisi is situated on a natural harbour, that penetrates deeply into the Adriatic coast of Apulia. Within the arms of the outer harbour islands are Pedagne, a tiny archipelago, currently not open and in use for military purposes (United Nations Group Schools used it during the intervention in Bosnia). The entire municipality is part of the Brindisi Plain, characterised by high agricultural uses of its land. It is located in the northeastern part of the Salento plains, about from the Itria Valley and the low Murge. The Natural Marine Reserve of the World Wide Fund for Nature of Torre Guaceto is close to the city. The Ionian Sea is about away.

Territory

The territory of Brindisi is characterised by a wide flat area from which emerge sub-deposits of limestone and sand of marine origin, which in turn have a deeper level clay of the Pleistocene era and an even later Mesozoic carbonate composed of limestone and soils. The development of agriculture has caused an increase in the use of water resources, increasing indiscriminate use.

Climate

Brindisi experiences a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa). Summers are hot and dry with abundant sunshine. Summer heat indexes can be regularly over and occasionally as high as during July and August. Winters are mild with moderate rainfall. Brindisi and the mostly topographically flat Salento peninsula are subject to light winds most of the year. The two main winds in Salento are the Maestral and the Scirocco. The northerly Maestral wind from the Adriatic Sea is cooling, moderating summer heat and increasing winter wind chill. The southerly Scirocco wind from the Sahara brings higher temperatures and humidity to Salento. During spring and autumn, Sirocco winds can bring thunderstorms, occasionally dropping red sand from the Sahara in the region. Snow is rare in Brindisi but occurred during the January 2017 cold spell, bringing snow and ice to much of southern Italy.

Main sights

thumb|250x250px|Brindisi Cathedral

thumb|Church of San Giovanni al Sepolcro

thumb|250px|Bell tower of the church of San Benedetto.

thumb|right|250px|Church of Santa Maria del Casale.

  • The Castello Svevo or Castello Grande ("Hohenstaufen Castle" or "Large Castle"), built by Emperor Frederick II. It has a trapezoid plan with massive square towers. Under the Crown of Aragon four towers were added to the original 13th-century structure. After centuries of being abandoned, in 1813 Joachim Murat turned it into a prison; after 1909 it was used by the Italian Navy. During World War II it was briefly the residence of King Victor Emmanuel III.
  • The Aragonese Castle, best known as Forte a Mare ("Sea Fort"). It was built by King Ferdinand I of Naples in 1491 on the S. Andrea island facing the port. It is divided into two sections: the "Red Castle" (from the color of its bricks) and the more recent Fort.
  • Two ancient Roman pillars, symbols of Brindisi. They were once thought to mark the ending points of the Appian Way, instead they were used as a port reference for the antique mariners. Only one of the two, standing at , is still visible. The other crumbled in 1582, and the ruins were given to Lecce to hold the statue of Saint Oronzo (Lecce's patron), because Saint Oronzo was reputed to have cured the plague in Brindisi.
  • the Duomo (cathedral), built in Romanesque style in the 11th–12th centuries. What is visible today is the 18th-century reconstruction, after the original was destroyed by an earthquake on 20 February 1743. Parts of the original mosaic pavement can be seen in the interior.
  • Church of Santa Maria del Casale (late 13th century), in Gothic-Romanesque style. The façade has a geometrical pattern of grey and yellow stones, with an entrance cusp-covered portico. The interior has early-14th-century frescoes including, in the counter-façade, a Last Judgement in four sections, by Rinaldo da Taranto. They are in late-Byzantine style.
  • Church of San Benedetto, in Romanesque style. Perhaps built before the 11th century as part of a Benedictine nunnery, it has a massive bell tower with triple-mullioned windows and Lombard bands. A side portal is decorated with 11th-century motifs, while the interior has a nave covered by cross vaults, while the aisles, separated by columns with Romanesque capitals, have half-barrel vaults. The cloister (11th century) has decorated capitals.
  • Portico of the Templars (13th century). Despite the name, it was in reality the loggia of the bishop's palace. It is now the entrance to the Museo Ribezzo.
  • the Fontana Grande (Grand Fountain), built by the Romans on the Appian Way. It was restored in 1192 by Tancred of Lecce.
  • Piazza della Vittoria (Victory Square). It has a 17th-century fountain.
  • Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli (1609).
  • Church of the Sacred Heart.
  • Church of San Giovanni al Sepolcro, with circular plan, dating from the 12th century.
  • Church of the Santissima Trinità (or Santa Lucia, 14th century). It has a late 12th-century crypt.
  • the

Natural areas

Within the territory of the town of Brindisi environmental protected areas are located, some newly established:

  • The Regional Natural Park of Punta della Contessa Salt: wetland of between Capo di Torre Cavallo and Punta della Contessa
  • The Regional Nature Reserve Forest Cerano: a protected natural area that falls within the territory of Brindisi and San Pietro Vernotico;
  • The Regional Nature Reserve Bosco of Santa Teresa and Lucci: it is a protected natural area composed of two forests whose name it bears. With the EU Directive 92/43 EEC, was included in the list of Sites of Community Importance (SCI);
  • The Marine Nature Reserve Guaceto Tower: falling mostly in the municipality of Carovigno, are managed by a consortium which includes the municipalities of Brindisi, Carovigno and the WWF.

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Demographics

The largest non-Italian ethnic community is Albanian. The number of those who decided to stay in the city, however, is negligible in light of the number of immigrants who migrated. Brindisi remains the first step towards western Europe for displaced people from the Balkans.

The large number of Americans is largely due to a U.S. Air Force station, between Brindisi and San Vito dei Normanni that operated throughout the second half of the 20th century. Although the base is no longer operational, many soldiers have decided to stay.

Languages and dialects

The Brindisi dialect is a variant of Salentino and, although there are minor differences between the various municipalities, the root remains unchanged. It is spoken not only in Brindisi, but in some towns of the province of Taranto. The Brindisi also affects some dialects north of Lecce in the south

Religion

Brindisi, along with Ostuni, is home of the Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostuni (Archidioecesis Brundusina-Ostunensis in Latin), home of the Catholic Church suffragan of Archdiocese of Lecce and part of the ecclesiastical region of Apulia. The diocese was erected in the 4th century, its first bishop was St. Leucio of Alexandria. In the 9th century following the destruction of the city by the Saracens, the bishops established their residence in Oria. The bishop Theodosius was successful in recovering the relics of St Leucio at the end of the 9th and keeping them in a basilica he built on top of the martyrium of the saint. It was in the 10th century that established the Diocese of Ostuni, first joined the Diocese of Conversano-Monopoli and likely heir to the ancient diocese of Egnatia.

On 30 September 1986, by decree of the Congregation for Bishops, the Archdiocese of Brindisi and Ostuni diocese were united in the Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostuni plena. The new diocese was recognized civilly 20 October 1986, by decree of the Ministry of Interior.

Brindisi contains an Eastern Orthodox Church parish, St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Rite. The rite of the Greek presence in Brindisi has long been established since the rule of the Byzantine Empire with a strong spread of the Basilian monks.

The Jews were a small but industrious community from 53 AD until the second half of the 16th century. The new Albanian migration has led to the recurrence of some Islamic religious presence.

Culture

Traditions and folklore

Significant in Brindisi is the cult of Tarantismo that combines pagan and Christian tradition. In the past it was believed that women who showed forms of hysteria were infected by the bite of a Lycosa tarantula. The only known remedy was to dance continuously for days, so that the poison did not cause greater effect. Through music and dance was created a real exorcism in musical character. Each time a tarantato exhibited symptoms associated with Taranto, the tambourine, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and accordion players went in the house of the tarantato and began to play the pinch music with frenetic rhythms. The Brindisi pinch, as opposed to Lecce, is devoid of Christian references and a therapeutic repertoire and musical detail.

Education

Libraries

thumb|right|300px|Seminary of Brindisi Library

The Provincial Library is a public library located in Commenda avenue. It has over 100,000 books and an extensive newspaper archive and participates in the National Library Service. Inside a modern auditorium, a media office and the secretariats of the university offices of Bari and Lecce operate. The Archbishop Annibale De Leo Library is a prestigious public library housed in the Seminary of Brindisi, in Piazza Duomo. Founded in 1798 by archbishop of Brindisi Annibale De Leo, with an endowment of about 6,000 volumes, today it has over 20,000 volumes, 17 incunable, over 200 16th-century manuscripts. These include some rare works, and various manuscript collections.

thumb|International School of Brindisi

Schools

Brindisi has an American accredited school, the school is The International School of Brindisi (ISB) and is accredited. The school has students from pre-K through high school. The school is also a non-profit community supported school. AP and college classes are available for the high school students.

University

The University of Salento Brindisi has social sciences, politics and geography faculty with courses in Sociology, Social Services and Political Science.

The University of Bari has courses in Business Administration, Management and Consulting, Economics, Maritime and Logistics, Information Technology, Design, Nursing and Physiotherapy.

Museums

The "F. Ribezzo" Provincial Archaeological Museum is located in Piazza Duomo and has many large rooms, providing visitors with six sections: epigraphy, sculpture, the antiquarium, prehistoric, coins, medieval, modern and bronzes of Punta del Serrone. The Giovanni Tarantini Diocesan Museum is newly established and is housed in the Palazzo del Seminario. It has a collection of paintings, statues, ornaments and vestments from the churches of the diocese. Particularly important is the silver embossed Ark that has the remains of St Theodore of Amasea and a 7th-century pitcher, in which one can recognize the wedding at Cana. The Ethnic Salento Agrilandia Museum of Civilization offers tourists the chance to see many statues in wood and stone. It also features agriculture and interesting tools with the rural culture.

  • Cosimo Aldo Cannone (Brindisi, 20 March 1984) is a driver of Powerboating, 2 time world champion, in 2007 and 2008.
  • Antimo Iunco (Brindisi, 10 June 1984) was a former football player and had the role of attacker.
  • Daniele Vantaggiato (Brindisi, 10 October 1984) is a soccer player for Fasano and has the role of attacker .
  • Gianluca Di Giulio (Brindisi, 17 February 1972), former footballer

Media

Radio

Radio station CiccioRiccioBrindisi is heard throughout Apulia, Basilicata, parts of Molise, Campania, and Calabria. Radio Dara that started in a workshop, founded in 1980, now broadcasts across the province.

Print

As for the press, the La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno publishes the Brindisi Journal. Salento's newspaper, the Nuovo Quotidiano di Puglia also covers Brindisi. Senzacolonne, which was founded in 2004, is the only one with a central editorial office in Brindisi.

Beverages, spirits, liquors

Almond milk: made by infusing water with the finely chopped almonds and then squeezing the same to expel the "milk". The region of Apulia has entered the milk of almonds in its list of traditional Italian food products.

Limoncello: a liquor made from the peel of fresh lemons and enriched with water, sugar and alcohol.

Also important are frisella, a sort of dehydrated hard bread which can be stored for a long time, and tarallini, also easily stored for long periods. The pucce and uliate cakes are also typical. Among local desserts the central place is occupied by almond paste, obtained by grinding shelled almonds and sugar. Another specialty is cartellate, a pastry, particularly prepared around Christmas, made of a thin strip of a dough made of flour, olive oil, and white wine that is wrapped upon itself, intentionally leaving cavities and openings, to form a sort of "rose" shape; the dough is then deep-fried, dried, and soaked in either lukewarm vincotto or honey.

Events

  • The day of Corpus Christi.
  • The Procession to the beach of San Lorenzo and San Teodoro, on the first Saturday of September.
  • The Feast of San Teodoro: Feast with candles, food stands, music, fireworks, in the first week of September.

Human geography

Roman period

thumb|right|250px|Roman pillar signaling the end of the [[Appian Way]]

From an urban point of view [58] [59], the city's earliest signs of human settlement are on the promontory of Punta Terre, a coastal area outside the port. As a Roman colony (244 BC), the city experienced a major urban expansion that ensued economic and social development. According to Pliny the Elder, Brindisi was one of the most important Italian cities.

Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, Brindisi suffered a sharp decline, after it was devastated by the Goths in the 6th century; Procopius describes it as a small city without defensive walls. The town shrank to a smaller area, probably around the San Leucio temple, outside the old town. The port was abandoned for several centuries. The rebirth came with the Byzantine domination (11th century) and especially with the Normans and the Swabians (12th and 13th century), when it became a prime port for the Crusades. The city was divided into three districts or "pittachi": Santo Stefano (in the vicinity of the columns), Eufemia (in Santa Teresa) and San Toma (in the area of Saint Lucia). Under the Aragonese and the Spanish kings, the main efforts were directed mainly around the ramparts (walls, castle and sea fort to provide relief from mostly the Greeks, Albanians and Slavs.

Government

Consulates

Brindisi is home to the following consulates:

  • Denmark
  • France
  • Honorary Consulate of Greece
  • Netherlands

Sports

Association football

Brindisi 1912 has played in six championship series. Their football strip colours recall those of the province, white and blue. The club plays in the stadium named after the president of the historical association on the Adriatic shore, Commander Franco Fanuzzi Stadium. ASD Appia Brindisi plays in the Regional Championship of the "First Category".

Basketball

The main basketball team in the city and in the wider region of Apulia is New Basket Brindisi, which has played for basketball championships in the top of A1 championships in League 2. Their colours are the same as that of all sports associations in the city, white and blue. The club plays their home games in the sports hall "Elio Pentassuglia".

Other clubs

  • NAFTA rugby Brindisi (C1)
  • Aces Amateur Volleyball 2006 (series B1 female).

Sports venues

  • Franco Fanuzzi Stadium: Municipal Stadium
  • PalaPentassuglia: sports hall
  • PalaMelfi: sports hall
  • Brindisi Tennis Club
  • St. Elias Sports Centre: rugby, sports hall, tennis court

International relations

Twin towns – sister cities

Brindisi is twinned with:

  • Lushnjë, Albania
  • Patras, Greece
  • Corfu, Greece
  • Amasya, Turkey
  • Charlotte, United States of America

Notes

References

; Notes

Bibliography

  • Travel in Brindisi (archived 11 March 2007)
  • Ferries from/to Brindisi