San Severo

San Severo stands on the fertile Tavoliere plain of northern Apulia, between the Gargano and the Apennines. In the sixteenth century it was an important centre of provincial government, housing the governor and the royal court of justice for Capitanata and Molise. Its location on the plain brought the surrounding agricultural country into contact with the town and its officials. Churches and merchants' houses gave it a stature matching its administrative role.

In 1579 San Severo was sold to Gian Francesco di Sangro, whose heirs became princes of the town. A devastating earthquake struck on 30 July 1627, badly damaging its medieval streets and buildings. Reconstruction continued into the following century, reshaping the town around churches and public spaces restored after the disaster.