Short answers, pulled from the story.
The name Foggia probably derives from the Latin word "fovea," meaning pit, referring to the pits where wheat was stored in the region. The etymology remains uncertain; other possible origins include "Phocaea" or the Medieval Greek word "fotia" meaning fire, linked to a legend about peasants who discovered a panel portraying the Madonna Nicopeia with three flames burning on it.
Foggia was bombed because of its strategically important airfields and marshalling yards. On the 22nd of July 1943, over 100 B-17 Flying Fortresses struck the city, killing 7,643 residents. On the 19th of August 1943, 233 B-17s and B-24 Liberators bombed the marshalling yards again, killing another 9,581 people.
Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II had a palace built in Foggia in 1223 and frequently resided there. He designated Foggia "Regalis Sedes Inclita Imperialis" - the preferred seat of the Empire - an inscription that still appears on the entrance to the remains of the imperial palace. His court there included notable figures such as the mathematician and scholar Michael Scot.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Italy was 47 degrees Celsius, measured in Foggia on the 25th of June 2007. It is also one of the highest temperatures ever recorded in Europe.
The Palazzo Dogana was built in 1447 by King Alfonso V of Aragon as a custom house to tax local sheep farmers. In July 2013, UNESCO designated it a "Messenger Monument of the Culture of Peace" for its role in cultural exchanges over the centuries.
Notable people born in Foggia include the composer Umberto Giordano (1867-1948), anarchist Nicola Sacco (1891-1927), magician Tony Slydini (1900-1991), journalist Mauro De Mauro (1921-1970), Ferrari chief designer Donato Coco (born 1956), and Olympic sabre fencer Luigi Samele (born 1987).