Gargano’s Information

Cagnano Varano is a wonderful town of Italy’s Province of Foggia and its settled on a hill, from where you can get a view of the whole green area. The town gets its name from the enchanting Varano Lake, which is in the neighborhood and it is part of the wonderful Gargano National Parc, as the town is. The whole surrounding rocky area is characterized by caves and coves too. In addition to the architectonic beauties you can see on the surface, Cagnano Varano is rich in underground caves. Among the others, we’d like to mention the San Michele Arcangelo cave, which is full of altars and niches that reminds you to the big San Michele cave of Monte Sant’Angelo.

There you can find a Sanctuary built to honour the appearance of the Archangel. On the surface the old town is very particular: little streets and alleyways, sometimes with little flights of steps between the houses. Among the most important monuments of Cagnano Varano we should remember Palazzo Baronale, which is the ancient entrance to the town, and the evocative church of Santa Maria della Pietà. Capoiane, a little bathing resort near Cognano, worth a visit too: the village rises on a mouth that connects the lake with the sea. This area is well known for the Eels farms too, indeed those animals are the main ingredient of one of the most famous local recipe: grilled eel.

The colorful Vico del Gargano, a little town in the Province of Foggia, is part of the Gargano National Park. This village is in the inland parts of Apulia and it is high up in a tableland at 500 meters above sea level. This little town has a very old origin and is characterized by narrow alleyways and tangled streets where you can find typical old wooden and rock-made main entrances. Vico del Gargano is rich in history too: you can find there a large number of buildings and structures that vouch for the greatness of ancient civilizations. Traces of Middle Ages can be found in the beautiful old quarters of Civita, Terra and Casale, that are full of interesting architectonic works, such as the imposing Norman-Aragonese Castle and the main Church with its stone-made portal. The Trappeto Maratea Museum is worth a visit.

The town is well-known for its ancient textile industry too: nowadays the loom is still one of the most important emblems of Vico del Gargano. If you like being in touch with nature you’ll love the amazing Umbra forest, the largest nature reserve of Italy, with its wonderful wildlife. The curious Alleyway of Kiss is well worth a visit too: it’s the favorite place for sweethearts, particularly during the patronal festival of St.Valentine. The back lane is very narrow, approximately 50 centimeters, and you’re forced to stay very close to your lover. Vico del Gargano is recommended also to those who love the sea, thanks to the hamlet of San Menaio, which is an evocative seaside resort.

Ischitella is a little town in the province of Foggia and it is part of the wonderful Gargano National Parc. The village is placed on a cape from where you can have a breathtaking view of the whole surrounding area, from the green hills to the deep blue of the sea. From Ischitella you can see the Tremiti Islands and the Varano Lake too. Foce Varano is an hamlet near Ischitella and it rises on one of the mouths of the homonymous lake. It is also a famous bathing resort provided with a little port. In the neighborhood you can find Capoiale, which is another little bathing resort widely known for its evocative pinewood. The street that leads you to the town separates the Adriatic Sea from the Lake too.
Most of the streets of Ischitella are narrow and uphill and they usually become flights of steps.

Once in the town you can visit the beautiful Church of the Crucifix and the Ventrella Building, which is built on the remains of an old Swabian castle. Very interesting are the Roman church of Sant’Eustacchio, patron of Ischitella, and the friary of San Francesco too. This last friary is widely known for an event that supposedly happened there before it was built: people say that San Francesco of Assisi arrived in this area and drove his stick in the ground. A beautiful cypress, still existing, came up. The Devil threw back the tree with a gust but the cypress survived despite it was upside down. The friary was built in memory of that event.

Torre Mileto is a joyful seaside resort near San Nicandro Garganico, in the province of Foggia. The name on this town comes from an ancient sighting tower located along the seacoast, which is called Torre Mileto. That is one of the oldest towers in all the Adriatic coast and it’s the closest point to the Tremiti Islands. The whole area is sourrounded by nature: there you can admire the blooming Mediterranean brush and the wonderful cliff, which is populated by interesting marine species. If you do a dive you can see how many treasures are hidden on the seabed, that include the wreck of a Venetian ship mysteriously sunken years ago.

Torre Mileto allures thousands of tourists every year: most of them chose to spend their holidays on the beautiful seaside, while others prefer to go to excursions and admire the impressive seascape all around the town. What really strikes you is the perfect chromatic harmony that marks the entire area: from the emerald vegetation to the gold sand and the strong blue of the sea. The main means of the economic support come from tourism during the summer and from fishing for the rest of the time. As for the tourism, the town is well-organized with lots of accomodation facilities to suit every pocket, so it really worth a visit: you can have fun and relax at the same time in this lovely town in the Apulian coast.

Varano Lake is the largest widest lake of southern Italy. This coastal lake is actually a real lagoon which communicates with the sea through the Varano mouth and the Capoiale outfall, even if it’s continuously fed by fresh water. This lake is an amazing example of how wonderful nature can be. This cobalt blue precious stone is actually set in a green frame made of junipers, Aleppo pines and eucalyptus. Varano Lake is well stocked with fish, in particular Eels. In the past this site was populated by birds swamp too, which attracted many hunters. Today, on the other hand, is it possible to admire gulls, turtledoves, cuckoo and cormorants. Along the east coast you can find the particular Church of the Blessed Jesus Crucified, where you can look up to a stupendous ancient wooden crucifix. Legend has it that the crucifix performed a miracle by making rain during a dry spell.

That’s the reason why every year takes place a picturesque procession which ends with amazing fire games. There’s another religious event too which takes place on the Varano Lake and it’s related to another crucifix. The last Sunday of every August that crucifix is carried on a boat all the way to Varano mouth harbor. Once there the clergyman blesses the sea, the lake and all the believers. This splendid place worth visiting not only because of the show offered by uncontaminated nature, but for the foreshortening that are able to touch your soul. On the 13th of August takes place the Varanea festival, which celebrates the delicious local food. Fishermen cook fish products that must be served not only with local wine and strong drinks but also with delicious cakes. Everything come along with folkloristic music bands. When the festival comes to an end the whole Lake is illuminated with lots of fire plays and luminous buoys.

Monte Sant’Angelo, a little town in the Province of Foggia, gets its reputation from the famous sanctuary dedicated to the Archangel Michael. The sanctuary was built there because tradition has it that the saint made his first appearance in an isolated cave on the Gargano and chose it as a place of prayer and forgiveness for the Christians. From then on this town became a place of pilgrimage for millions of believers. The sanctuary and the beautiful Basilica are situated on the top of the Gargano and next to them you can admire the imposing “Torre Angioina”, an octagon-shaped bell tower. Inside the Basilica is still possible to visit the sacred cave where the Archangel appeared, which is now a symbol of the reconciliation with God.

The little town of Monte Sant’Angelo has been built around that cave. One of its oldest quarters is called Junno and it’s characterized by little terraced white houses. If you visit Junno in the evening you’ll feel like you’re walking in a crib. The church of San Pietro is well worth a visit too: on the inside you can admire the renowned baptistry of San Giovanni in Tumba, also known as “Rotay’s Tomb”. If you’re planning to visit Monte Sant’Angelo we advise you on doing it on the 29th of September, the patronal festival, or on the 19th of March, when they celebrate San Giuseppe: the so-called Fanoie (bonfires) are made along the street of the town and people used to jump on them.

San Menaio is a lovely bathing resort near Vico Garganico and it’s well known for its wonderful gold beaches that come in contact with the thick vegetation of the hinterland. The green that surround this area is mainly made of citrus plantations and Aleppo pines that make one of the most ancient forests of Italy.
San Menaio, like most of the cities on the Apulian coast, is rich in old sighting towers. Among them we’d like to remember the Preposti tower and the Monte Pucci one. In the past they were used to spot the enemies that came from the sea such as the Saracenic pirates that used to travel in the Adriatic Sea.

Coast of San Menaio is very enchanting: the uncontaminated sea and the wonderful views are enriched during the sunset, when the sun lights up the rocks and is reflected in the water. And if you move toward Peschici, you can find the amazing Calanella beach. This village is well known for the P.D.O. citrus fruits foreign trade too, such as the “blond orange of Gargano” and the “Femminello lemon”. What really strike of San Menaio is the chromatic mix that can offer to the visitors: from the deep blue of the sea to the emerald green of the vegetation and the gold of the beaches.

Manfredonia is the most important town in the province of Foggia and it borders the homonymous gulf, which is the widest gulf of the Adriatic Sea.The name Manfredonia comes from the founder of the city, King Manfredi of Hohenstaufen who was emperor Federico II’s child. In the XIII century King Manfredi transferred there all the inhabitants of the near Siponto, which had been destroyed from an earthquake and from the Saracens.

The town is rich in architectural beauties, such as the Swabian-Angevin castel, which currently houses the Archaeological National museum of Manfredonia. The museum features the “Stele Daune”, which are archaic funerary headstones used by the ancient people of Dauni.The elegant church of San Domenico is a perfect example of medieval architecture: it was built by Carlo II D’Angio at the end of the XIII century.

The imposing Cathedral is worth visiting too. It was built during the XVII century and it houses the sacred icon of the Madonna of Siponto. There are some other interesting places, such as the church of Saint Leonard from Siponto and the one dedicated to the Virgin Mary. They both date back to the XI-XII centuries and they are wonderful marks of the Apulian romanic art.

Manfredonia is a beautiful seaside resorts too: the sea it’s very clean and the beaches are so beautiful that they allure thousands of tourists every year. If you want to have some fun you can take part in the Dauno Carnival of Manfredonia and its colorful carnival floats.
The marine spirit of Manfredonia is shown by the large number of fisherman and boatmen, who still live in compliance with old traditions. If you are incurabily romantic we advise you to take a walk on the seafront, where you would be enchanted by the many beauties of the town.

San Nicandro Garganico is a beautiful little town in the province of Foggia and it is part of the Gargano National Parc. The town rises on a green hill made of olives, grapevines and almonds.The whole area is characterized by caves and caverns, which are perfect for excursions. San Nicandro Garganico is in the wonderful area of Varano and Lesina Lakes too.

If you visit this amazing little town you can easily venture on naturalistic beautiful itineraries, such as the thick Spinapulci wood, the bewitching Fiorella forest or the “Pozzatina”, an evocative karstic doline. Due to its hilly position, from San Nicandro Garganico you can admire amazing views, such as the beautiful Tremiti Islands and if you’re a little bit lucky even the Gran Sasso and the Croatian coast.

This Lombard town is well known for its production of dried ornamental flowers, but it’s also famous because of the diversity of interesting buildings you can find there: a beautiful example of that is the Norman Castle. Tradition has it that from the Castle you can reach through a tunnel the old Church Santa Maria del Borgo, where you can visit the exhibition wooden statues of the Neapolitan school.

Very important is the little Church of San Giorgio in Terravecchia, which is linked to a tradition too. Legend has it that behind the altar there was a wishing well: if you could fill a bucket without spilling the water, your desires would come true. But if you’re a lover of sea, you should take a visit to the near Torre Mileto hamlet and its beautiful gold seaside.

Carpino is a small village in the province of Foggia, placed on the top of a promontory and surrounded by greenery. Its old town is characterized by a particular grid of streets that makes every walk a real pleasure. This small town has a very ancient history which has been preserved over the years.

An example of this cultural preservation is given by the famous Carpino Folk Festival, which gives a fresh impetus to the folk music of the Gargano. It usually takes place in August and during this event there are lots of storytellers, the so-called “cantori”, that bring back to life the old tarantellas. That’s the reason why every year thousands of tourists and fans chose Carpino as a destination for their holidays.

Anyway Carpino is mainly an agricultural town and it’s so famous for its production of extra virgin olive oil that is also called “Oil Town”. This oil is celebrated many times a years with different events. Among them we’d like to remember the “Frasca Fanoja e Olio Novello” on the 7th of December and the “Festival of extra virgin olive oil and broad beans of Carpino” on the 12th of August.

The town is also known for the ancient art of frame: most of the women of Carpino produce very fine clothes as it used during the Saracenic period. Wickerwork furniture are local products too.
Carpino is worth visiting, not only because of its friendly and relaxed background but also to admire the wonderful naturalistic environment that surround this little town.