"Peschici"

Two historic church, P. Sarnelli and M. Knights in 1680 say that the origins of Peschici be ascribed to Schiavoni or Slavs, called by Otto I to relieve the Gargano from Saracens.
Pompey Sarnelli also writes the year, 970.
Both historians indicate Sueripolo the head of the Slavs, because the Sarnelli writes: "Sueripolo, Captain of the Slavs, with his army discacciò way from the Saracens Monte Gargano" the victorious Slavs "were rimunerati by, making habitare in camp St. Vitus in Gargano, dividendogli two Colonie one that Vico, the other Peschici.

The name itself is probably Peschici of Slavic origin, in fact the root Slavic pès, pèsc
Refers to the sand, Slavic toponyms pjèskusa and Russian pèski indicate sandy soil.
Numerous raids were the Saracen dall'866 to 969 on the coasts garganiche that went into the tenth century.
One thing is certain, Peschici in the XI century was certainly inhabited, and this is confirmed in a document, Chartula offertionis in S. Mary Devia of 1053, which appears for the first time the name, and where was that three Slavs lived "... intus Castle Pesclizo ..."[ Cod. Dipl. Shivers, doc.47> (The Byzantines with the term "Castle" designated centres fortified minors).

Under the feudal system introduced by the Normans found, in 1154, under the Peschici County Lesina. During this period rose from a feudal lord to another.
In 1177, the feud is under Monte Sant'Angelo, donated by William II Buono said his wife Joan of England.
Under the domination of the Swabians, Peschici passed dramatic moments in contention between Empire and the papacy.
A reporter of time tells us that in September 1239, 25 Venetian galleys sent by Pope Gregory IX against excommunicated Frederick, "and take prostrano Bestice (Peschici) and Beasts (Vieste).
Federico will reconstruct the fortifications of the two centres.
Under the dynasty Angioina, Peschici is among the few countries faithful to King Charles, at the time of the coming of Corradino of Swabia (1267).
In 1274 he attended with Bari, Monopoli, Trani, Vieste and Ortona Pugliese to the fleet of Omis, a city of the Dalmatian coast.
In 1401, the feud goes to King Ladislaus of Durres.
During the domain Aragonese, Gargano (1458) supported the barons against the new king Alfonso, who in 1462 occupied the Gargano who went to Giorgio Skanderberg, ally of the Spanish sovereign.
Against the background of this scenario is always present Venice, the city that controls all maritime traffic to the East and the Adriatic coasts: between 1469 and 1586 Peschici appears in 23 papers and portolani, most of them written by geographers Serenissima.
In addition, other documents was that Peschici ragusee ships are built between 1550 and 1570:
"Ser Antonio de Stephano de Ser Ragusio et de Marco Johanne companies are building a ship in the scope of carra 250. Company building debia be Peschize land. The dispesa will ducats 500 [Cod. Dipl. Barl. Vol. 10, No 28> "In Peschize de Gargano built a ship pro Johannis de part de Ragusio Christmas, Baroli commorantis". The calefatore is Marinus de Ragusio. [Cod. Dipl. Barl. Vol. 10, n.380>
After the Franco-Spanish war for possession of the kingdom of Naples, but especially after the raids ennesime Turks, which we witness in a manuscript of Timothy Mainardi (Reasons of the Monastery of St. Mary Tremiti, 1592), mentioned in the the 1554 massacre of Vieste, where there were thousands of victims, and the 1567 siege of Shivers, it was decided to build ten towers along the coasts of Capitanata.

Five years later the number of towers rises to 21 and between them there are the Monte Pucci and the Calalunga, which was then diroccata in 1570.
The first description of the Peschici we Sarnelli in 1676: "Earth Baronial. And 'situated in prominent place, and enjoy the view of the sea ".
He writes that the town is contained in the walls of enclosure: outside the churches of Our Lady of Loreto and Santa Maria di Sfilzi, the convents of Calèna, S. Francis and S. Nicholas.
Drought or one of the recurring invasions of locusts (1663) did many victims to decimate the population significantly.
In'700 plaque placed on a fence Baronial, in the historical center, attests to Peschici belonging to the Prince of Ischitella Emmanuel Pinto.
During the insurgency antiborbonca Entire Gargano will constitute sales, carbonare associations, and in 1848 the peschiciano antiborbonico-liberal and active politician, poet and writer Joseph Libetta (known why commander of the first ship to steam osò cross the Mediterranean , Ferdinand I, which sailed from Naples on September 27, 1818) enters the House of Savoy born in the Constitution.
The plebiscite of 1860 nearly 40% of peschiciani voted in favour of the Bourbons.
In 1865 the isolation of Promontory Garganico is broken thanks to the construction of the road circum Gargano, the current SS 89.
In 1931 the railroad arrived in 1939 and was completed the Aqueduct Pugliese.
Despite the battles during the fascist regime for the increase in population and production of wheat, Peschici the census of 1936 increased by one third but it is also increasing the phenomenon of emigration.
Not better the situation of war, in fact, with the increasing population does not grow jobs and livelihoods, but only the number of emigrants.
Only with the advent of tourism around 1960 there will be improvements that will bring many fruits still visible.