| Cassano stands north of Murge massif, at the boundary between Eastern and Southern Murgia.
In ancient times the city was known as Casa Jani (’House of Janus’) in honor of a temple devoted to double-fronted god Janus, which stood where the Church of Holy Crucifix can be found today. The town belonged to the Cassia family, who earned it for their campaigns against Taranto. During the second half of XI Century, Duke of Apulia and Calabria Roberto il Guiscardo yield the village to the Archbishop of Bari. King Ladislao eventually included Cassano in the Kingdom of Naples for its support to Luigi II d’Angiò.
The city was eventually under the lordship of Del Balzo, Acquaviva and Ayerba-d’Aragona families, during feudal subversion. Since 1862 Cassano has had its current name with the indication of Murge, in order to distinguish it from other synonymous cities on the national territory. |