The first urban settlements appeared in the first half of the 17th century, when peasants and farmers, moving from nearby villages, found in the fertile plain, the place where Castellana rose, excellent opportunity for land cultivation. Between the 17th and the 18th century, the duke of Ferrandina, local feudal lord, obtained the "ius populandi" from king Philip V of Spain, which is the right to build new settlements. Probably after the marriage with Gemma, a noble woman of the Spanish family Castellana, he called the town Castellana in honor of his wife.