Lucera is an ancient city located in the province of Foggia in the Italian region of Puglia. It was founded by the tribes daunizeau in the heart of their possessions – Downie. During the archaeological excavations have found traces of bronze age settlements.

Its name Lucera, probably on behalf of Lucius, mythical Denisovo the king, or from the temple dedicated to the goddess Lux, Cereris. A third version, the founders of the city were the Etruscans, and in this case, its name means "sacred forest" ("ray" forest, "Erie" - sacred).

In 321-m BC the Roman army was surrounded by the Samnites. Trying to get the support of allies, the Romans were ambushed and were routed. The Samnites took the Lucera, however, were soon banished as a result of people's rebellion. In 320, the year Rome was granted to the town the status of a Colony Togata that meant that he was under the control of the Roman Senate. And in order to strengthen ties between the two cities, in Lucera, the went 2, 5 thousand Romans. Since then, this city was known as a regular ally of Rome. From those times to have survived relatively many monuments, including an amphitheater. When the Western Roman Empire fell, Lucera gradually began to decline. In 663, the year it was conquered by the Lombards, and later the city was destroyed Constants II, ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire.

In 1224, the year the Emperor Frederick II in response to religious uprising in Sicily expelled all Muslims from the island, and many of them long settled in Lucera. Their number reached 20 thousand people, and so the city became known as Lucara Saracenorum because it was the last Islamic Bastion in Italy. In peacetime, the Muslims were mostly engaged in farming – they grew wheat, barley, beans, grapes and other fruits. They also bred bees and got honey. This colony flourished for 75 years until, in 1300, the year was not plundered by the Christians under the command of king Charles II of Anjou. Majority of the Muslims of Lucera were expelled or sold into slavery. Many found refuge in Albania, lying on the other side of the Adriatic sea. Abandoned mosques were destroyed and in their place grew the Christian Church, including the Cathedral of Santa Maria della Vittoria.

After the expulsion of Muslims from Charles II tried to settle in Lucera Christians and those Muslims who accepted the new faith, got his property back. However, none of them have been restored to a former position or admitted to political life of the city. In 2009, the year the study was conducted gene pool of the inhabitants of Lucera and neighboring cities, in which local residents had detected a small percentage of North African "blood."

In Lucera has preserved many historical monuments Dating back to different periods. Among them is the Roman amphitheatre, one of the largest in southern Italy. It was discovered in 1932, the year together with the statue of the Emperor Augustus. The dimensions of the amphitheatre 131*99 meters. It could fit up to 18 million viewers. From the Middle ages preserved castle, the Church of San Francesco and the Cathedral, built in the 1300s, on the site of the last medieval mosques Italy. You can also visit the Church of Carmen, Santo Domenico, San Giovanni Battista and Sant Antonio. The dome of the latter was once part of the town mosque.