The province of Foggia can be divided in three parts: one centered on its capital calledTavoliere, another along theApennines namedDaunian Mountains and the third on the spur of the boot-shaped Italianpeninsula calledGargano.
TheTavoliere is an important agricultural area:grapefruit,olives,durum wheat andtomato are the chief products. It is called "the granary of Italy" because of its significant wheat production.
Daunian Mountains lie along the border withMolise andCampania. Scattered with small villages, the mountains are covered by forests and pastures, with the main produce beinghams andcaciocavallo cheese.Faetar, a language descended fromFranco-Provençal, is spoken in two villages:Faeto andCelle di San Vito.
TheGargano peninsula is partiallymountainous and partially forested,Foresta Umbra withvegetation typical ofCentral Europe, the only part of the ancient black forest remaining in Italy. Its name comes from the wordombra (shadow) because of its density that prevents light from entering.[citation needed] Thecoast ofGargano has manybeaches and tourist facilities. In the north are two majorsalt lakesLesina andVarano. It producesolives, olive oil and typical mountain and seafood items.
It has an area of 7,007 square kilometres (2,705 sq mi) and a total population of 627,102 (2012). There are currently 61comuni (singular:comune) in the province, seeComuni of the Province of Foggia.
Foggia, entrance arch of the imperial palace of Frederick IIMonte Sant'AngeloDaunian earthenware pot, 550–400 BC, found in Foggia
Main centers in the province are:
Foggia, the capital and hometown ofoperacomposerUmberto Giordano. Favourite residence in Apulia ofFrederick II at the beginning of the 13th century. During his reign it was the most important town of the province and to alternate periods of the Empire.
Although less important today, the agricultural sector remains the mainstay of Foggia's economy; it is nicknamed the "granary of Italy". The few industries present are mostly devoted to food processing.
Most peeled tomatoes in Europe come from Foggia. Every year, two million tons of tomatoes are produced but farmers receive only eight cents per kilo. To survive in the free market, most tomato farmers recruit illegal immigrants.[2]
Foggia receives many Catholic pilgrims each year to locations such as theSanctuary of Saint Michael the Archangel inMonte Sant'Angelo, which was visited byPope John Paul II in 1987, and to nearbySan Giovanni Rotondo, the home ofSaint Pio of Pietrelcina from 1916 until his death in 1968. As the number of pilgrims to San Giovanni Rotondo kept increasing over the years, in 2004 a new shrine near the church was built. The sanctuary has a capacity of around 6,000 people and its parvis has a 30,000 people capacity.
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