CERIGNOLA

town, Foggia provincia, Puglia (Apulia) regione, southeastern Italy. It lies on high ground marking the southern limit of the Puglia Tableland, southeast of Foggia. On April 28, 1503, the Spaniards defeated the French below Cerignola and made the Kingdom of Naples a Spanish province. The town later passed to the princely families of Caracciolo and Pignatelli. The philologist Nicola Zingarelli was born at Cerignola (1860), and Pietro Mascagni composed the opera Cavalleria rusticana there in 1890. An important communications and market centre, Cerignola produces wine, olive oil, almonds, wheat, oats, and linen and conducts a trade in wool as well. Pop. (1991 prelim.) mun., 54,971.