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Cagnano Varano is a town in the province of Foggia. It has about 7,700 inhabitants and it is part of the Parco Nazionale del Gargano (Gargano National Park) and Comunità Montana del Gargano, 175 meters above sea level.

The name of the town derives from the Latin name “Canius” and from the lake Varano, which in turns come from the indo-european word “Vara” that means water.

The coat of arms is represented by a shield with a pastoral over a blue field. On top of the shield there is a ducal crown, probably belonging to the Aiello family.

Local inhabitants are referred to as cagnanesi .

HISTORY
According to some studies the town has medieval origin. According to a popular tradition the Cagnano, like the other town surrounding the Lake Varano, originated from the ancient city of Uriah.
Canjanum, the name of the first settlement existed already during the High middle Age, however, in the territory of Cagnano there have been huts and cave settlemets during the Prehistory.
Some urban settlements which established in the area existed already, while some others were contemporary to the ones existing in the old town called "Lu Caut”. The origins of Cagnano probably go back to the late-Roman period, as the name of the town suggests. The oldest evidence, dating 960, is a document in which the Lombard princes Landolfo I Landolfo IV granted the fief of Cagnano to the sanctuary of San Michele in Monte Sant'Angelo.
The feud was then controlled by Norman barons. In 1095 the Count Enrico was the sole lord of the Gargano area. Cagnano in 1177 became part of the estate of Queen Giovanna, King William’s wife and daughter of Henry II of England.
During the Swabian and the Angevin rule, Cagnano was part of Monte Sant'Angelo. From 1326 to 1482 the fief was ruled by the Marra family. At the end of the Middle Ages (1492) the territory of Cagnano passed to the Neapolitan Giovanni di Sangro, and later (1497) it was granted by King Ferdinand of Aragon to Troiano Mormille. In 1526 the estate was sold to Antonio Loffredo. Later it was held by the Nava family (1596), and afterwards by the Vargas family.
Alfonso de Vargas in 1628 sold the fief of Cagnano to his mother-in-law, Giulia D'Aiello, and in 1630 it was elevated to the title of the Dukedom. The last feudal lords were the Brancaccio family in 1732. In 1806, with the end of the feudalism the old privileges were abolished. Upon Unification of Italy, Cagnano became a comune in the new Kingdom of Italy.
In 1862 the name Varano was added to the name of the town, in honour of the previous town situated on the banks of the lagoon. The Varano lagoon, which is within the territory of Cagnano, with its products, its history and its beauty, is one of the most important sites of the Gargano area.

MONUMENTS AND SIGHTS OF INTEREST
• Old Town
• Case Giornetti, Petruzzelli, Russi, Sanzone, Curatolo, Tedeschi e De Monte
• San Michele Arcangelo Cave
• Madre Santa Maria della Pietà’s Church
• Franciscan Convent
• Palazzo Baronale, also called "il...