La divisione del feudo A.D. 1575

Our town, **Locorotondo**, is distinguished by many beautiful things, but there is one thing that sets us apart: we are always divided in two. We have two patrons, Saint George and Saint Roch, two worker societies, two tourist information points—the Pro Loco and the infopoint—two bands, and two important festivals, Locus and Viva! Historically, we have had two distinct political groups, the Senussi and the Bedouins. Over the years, there have even been two football teams playing in the same league. In the not-too-distant past, there was also a strong opposition between urban and rural residents. But why do we tend to divide in two? The answer might lie in our history. **Pro Loco Locorotondo**, together with the amateur theater group **"Metti Amore"** from the **I Briganti** association, will stage this aspect of our history on **Saturday, May 31, at 7:00 PM.** This appointment with "Living History" has reached its fourth year thanks to the support of BCC Locorotondo. After recounting the 1914 murder, the castle's destruction, and the arrival of Saint Felicissima's relics, we come to this curious episode that brought many challenges to the local population.

In fact, the fief of Locorotondo in 1528 belonged to the Carafa family under the dominion of Charles V of Habsburg, among whose possessions was the Kingdom of Naples. In the Four Years' War (1521-1526) opposing Charles V and the Republic of Venice, the Carafa and the entire people of Locorotondo decided to side with the Venetians (could this be the origin of the name of San Marco district?). After the war, King Charles V took his revenge. The fief was seized in 1528 and assigned to the baron of Carovigno, Giovan Gaspare di Loffredo. However, the transfer had to be completed with the signature of King Charles V, who was busy waging war. Giovan Gaspare died before the fief was confirmed, and his estate passed to his son, Donato Antonio. He too remained without royal authorization until 1531. On January 16, 1534, the Spanish court assigned the fief of Locorotondo to the Spaniard Fernando de Figueroa, who had distinguished himself in the Italian wars. Donato Antonio opposed this document. The court sought a solution through a compromise: the division of the fief into two parts. A public ceremony took place on June 29, 1579, with a drawing on the forecourt of the Mother Church: one pot contained the names of the two lords, Scipione di Loffredo and Fernando II de Figueroa, and the other the division into two of the fief. The 1579 map perfectly describes Locorotondo's topography. The division resulted in the castle and church on one side, and the baronial palace and the entire right side on the other. Through a public draw conducted by Archpriest Don Domenico Pentassuglia, the left part of Locorotondo was assigned to Scipione di Loffredo and the right part to Gomez de Figueroa. Until January 14, 1602, the town had two administrations with their own officials. In 1602, the town would be reunified by the Borrassa family.