FRANCAVILLA FONTANA, a town and Episcopal see of Apulia, Italy, province of Lecce, 22 m. by rail E. by N. of Ta ranto, 46o ft. above sea-level. The pop. of the commune in 1931 was 21,363. It is in a fine situation, and has a massive square castle of the Imperiali family, to whom, with Oria, it was sold by S. Carlo Borromeo in the 16th century for 40,000 ounces of gold, which he distributed in one day to the poor.