Capitanata
Part of The Encyclopedia of Southern Italy.
Capitanata: A former province of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (Naples). It was roughly equivalent to the present province of Foggia in Puglia. It was situated on the E. slope of the Apennines, bounded on the N and E by the Adriatic Sea. It had an area of 3,178 square miles and a population, in 1856, of 334,878. Its economy was based largely on the rearing of sheep and horses. Much of the province was dominated by the mountainous promontory of Monte Gargano. The remainder consisted of a sandy plain watered by several streams which emptied into the Adriatic. The Capitanata was bounded on the S by the Terra di Bari, on the W by the Principato, and on the N by Sannio (Molise) and the Abruzzo Citra. The province was about 70 miles in length and varied between 40 to 80 miles in breadth. It corresponded with the ancient Apulian region of Daunia.