Andria is one of the three capitals of the province of Barletta-Andria-Trani in the Apulia region of southern Italy. Although Barletta is the better known city of the three, Andria is the biggest as to number of inhabitants. Its main attractions are the Cathedral and the Castel del Monte. of the three capital cities, it is the only one not on the coast.
Andria travel guide
Tourist information
Address town hall: Palazzo di Città – Piazza Umberto I – 76123 Andria (Phone: +39 0883 290111). Tourist office: There is an info point at Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II (Phone: +39 0883 290341 or 0883 290326). The nearest airport is in Bari.
How to get there by car/public transportation
By car: The provincial road SP231 connects Andria to Bari and Foggia. The E55 highway leads to Venice in the north and to Brindisi in the south, while the E842 leads to Naples.
By train: Andria is a stop on the provincial line between Bari and Barletta. The nearest national railway station is the one of Bari.
Tourist attractions
The main attraction is the 13th century, octagonal, Castel del Monte, which was constructed by Frederick II.
The Cathedral of Andria was built in different stages, on top of a crypt. The crypt itself contains the tombs of the Emperor’s wives.
A second interesting church is the Madonna dei Miracoli Sanctuary,
The main civic buildings are the Palazzo Ducale, the Torre dell’Orologio and the Town Hall. The latter was constructed by transforming an already existing Franciscan convent.
The Porta Sant’Andrea is a gate in the ancient city wall.
The main attractions outside these walls are the Byzantine frescoes in the caves dug into the tuff stone hill. These are known as the Laure Basiliane.
A brief history of Andria
The territory itself was already inhabited in prehistoric times. The earliest documents referring to a medieval settlement a loco Andre date back to the 9th century, however. In those days, this hamlet was subject to the county of Trani.
In the 11th century, Peter I the Norman, turned the settlement into a bigger, walled city, by relocating the inhabitants of neighboring hamlets here.
Under Frederick II it first became a county and then a duchy, ruled by the Del Balzo family.
In the 15th century, Andria came under the reign of Frederick of Aragon.
From the 16th to the 19th century, the Carafa were in charge. Toward the end of the 18th century, the city was sacked by the French. This was due to the Carafa’s faithfulness to the King of Naples.
After the Risorgimento, the city experienced a period of relative growth.
After World War II, however, the town experienced a big economic crisis and many of its inhabitants left the city.
Day trips Barletta-Andria-Trani province
Although the province has three capitals, it only consists of ten towns. The two other capitals are Barletta and Trani. The remaining towns are Bisceglie, Canosa di Puglia, Margherita di Savoia, Minervino Murge, San Ferdinando di Puglia, Spinazzola and Trinitapoli.