Gravina
GRAVINA, a town and episcopal see of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Bari, from which it is 63 m. S.W. by rail (29 m. direct), 1148 ft. above sea-level. Pop. (1901) 18,197. The town is probably of medieval origin, though some conjecture that it occupies the site of the ancient Blera, a post station on the Via Appia. The cathedral is a basilica of the 15th century. The town is surrounded with walls and towers, and a castle of the emperor Frederick II. rises above the town, which later belonged to the Orsini, dukes of Gravina; just outside it are dwellings and a church (S. Michele) all hewn in the rock, and now abandoned.
Prehistoric remains in the district (remains of ancient settlements, tumuli, etc.) are described by V. di Cicco in Notizie degli scam (1901), p. 217.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
