MANFREDONIA

town and archiepiscopal see, Foggia province, Puglia (Apulia) region, east central Italy, on the southern slope of the Promontorio del Gargano at the head of the Golfo (gulf) di Manfredonia, northeast of Foggia. The Romanesque church of Sta. Maria di Siponto (1117), 2 mi (3 km) southwest, marks the site of the ancient Sipontum, conquered by the Romans in 217 BC and the see of a bishop from the 1st century AD. Abandoned in the 13th century because nearby stagnant lagoons had made the site unhealthy, Sipontum's inhabitants settled in Manfredonia, founded about 1260 by Manfred, king of Sicily. Although the town was destroyed by the Turks in 1620, the castle and the Romanesque church of S. Domenico remain. There is a museum housing many remains from Sipontum. The chief occupations are agriculture, fishing, and commerce. Tourism is increasing, and a hydraulic works has been developed. Pop. (1981 prelim.) mun., 52,674.