Northern Puglia & the Gargano Promontory
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© Lonely Planet Publications 84 www.lonelyplanet.com 85 Northern Puglia & the Gargano Promontory Crowning Italy’s boot, the northern province of Foggia (the capitanata) is an attractive NORTHERN PUGLIA & THE NORTHERN PUGLIA & THE land of contrasting geographical bands, from the mountainous rocky spur of the Gargano GARGANO PROMONTORY Promontory to the vast flat tablelands of the Tavoliere and the gentle rolling hills of the Daunia Pre-Apennines. The Tavoliere is the wheatbowl of southern Italy, covering half of the capitanata in a 3000-sq-km geometric chequerboard of golden fields. Tracks across the plains bear witness to the centuries-old transhumance routes, the ancient droving trails or tratturi along which sheep and cattle were moved from Abruzzo to Puglia. The wheatfields surrounding the provincial capital of Foggia gently give way to the wetlands and salt works of Margherita di Savoia on the southeast coast, a region famous for its prolific birdlife. To the west, the Tavoliere merges into the undulating foothills, shallow valleys and wooded slopes of the beautiful Daunia mountains. Here, castles and towers of the medieval hilltop towns watch over Foggia’s Pre-Apennine border. Puglia’s only mountainous zone is the stunning Gargano Promontory, a blunt spur of limestone cliffs and dense forest jutting into the blue Adriatic Sea. Its landscape, flora and fauna are a geographical anomaly in Puglia’s Mediterranean mezzogiorno, more Croatian than southern Italian. Millions of years ago the Gargano was separated from the mainland by a thin strip of ocean. Now its unique beauty and summer seaside resorts are a favourite with Italian and German tourists. HIGHLIGHTS Isole Worship the gods of sun, sand and sea in the Tremiti attractive seaside resort of Vieste ( p88 ) Mattanata-Peschici Coastal Road Explore the dramatic coastal road between Vieste Mattinata and Peschici, stopping at a trabucco (boxed text, p93 ) for a fresh sea- Foresta Umbra Monte food lunch Sant'Angelo Hike or mountain bike in the uniquely Bavarian-esque Foresta Umbra ( p87 ) Brave the pilgrims for a spiritual experi- ence in the atmospheric Santuario di San Michele ( p97 ) in Monte Sant’Angelo Daunia Pre- Drive through the rolling hills and medieval Apennines hilltop towns of the stunning Daunia Pre- Apennines ( p108 ) Dive the incredibly clear blue waters of the Isole Tremiti ( p102 ) 86 THE GARGANO PROMONTORY lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com THE GARGANO PROMONTORY •• Foresta Umbra 87 0 10 km 1000m above Puglia’s flat tablelands. Char- THE GARGANO PROMONTORY 0 6.0 miles THE GARGANO acterised by white limestone cliffs, calcareous grottoes, a crystal-clear green sea and ancient PROMONTORY forests, the ‘spur’ of the Italian boot has more Isole in common with Dalmatia than the rest of Tremiti The Gargano Promontory (Promontorio del Italy. A winding drive along the coastal road ADRIATIC SEA Gargano) is one of the most beautiful areas in affords breathtaking views of the Adriatic Sea southern Italy, rising from the sea to tower and the secluded sandy coves and long beaches Baia dei Manaccora NORTHERN PUGLIA & THE 0 40 km Peschici GARGANO PROMONTORY NORTHERN PUGLIA & THE GARGANO 0 20 miles Rodi Garganico La Salata San 15°E 16°E Menaio Ischitella Vico del Vieste Lago di Lago di Gargano Lesina Lesina Scoglio di SS89 Varano Pizzomunno Carpino San Domino Isole Sannicandro Testa del Tremiti Adriatic Sea Garganico SS16 Corpo Gargano Cagnano Forestale Villaggio Baia di Campi Varano Umbra Apricena Promontorio Del Gargano Monte Pugnochiuso Sacro 42°N Sanctuario Monte Calvo (872m) Termoli (1055m) Baia delle 42°N Madonna Sanctuario di di Stignano Zagare GARGANO PROMONTORY GARGANO PROMONTORY San Matteo Mattinata NORTHERN PUGLIA & THE NORTHERN PUGLIA & THE Vignanotica Campomarino Peschici Porto di San Marco San Giovanni Monte Sant' Rodi Garganico in Lamis Mattinata La Salata San Severo Rotondo Angelo no er if Portocannone Rignano B Vico del Garganico Lago di Lesina Lago di Gargano Varano Vieste Santa Maria Manfredonia e r di Siponto Golfo di o t Villaggio Manfredonia r Lido di Siponto Ururi o Umbra Pugnochiuso San Leonardo F Parco Nazionale SS16 di Siponto Siponto del Gargano no Frattarolo no arga To Foggia Nature Reserve Cig del G SS89 ontorio To Foggia (20km) To Margherita di CAMPOBASSO Prom Savola (30km) (8km) Lago Salso San Giovanni Monte Rotondo Sant'Angelo San Severo that attract summer sun-worshippers to its pines, oak and beech. Rare orchids, fantastic attractive seaside towns, especially Vieste and birdlife, and endemic fauna and flora define Manfredonia Peschici. this geographical island. Hikers and mountain Lago di T Siponto avol The peninsula is also a place of creeping bikers will find plenty of well-marked trails Occhito iere Pl Frattarolo ain Nature Reserve Golfo di urbanisation, which was thankfully halted within the forest’s 15,000 hectares, and there FOGGIA Manfredonia Lago Salso in 1991 by the creation of the Parco Nazi- are several picnic areas. Lucera onale del Gargano, which encompasses the At the Villagio Umbra, in the heart of the varo Cer Corpo Forestale dello Stato (%0884 56 Zapponeta entire promontory and its island off-shoots, forest, the Foggia 54 44; admission €1.20; h9am-7pm Apr-Oct) elle the Isole Tremiti. Aside from its magnificent runs a visi- San Bartolomeo rap in Galdo Ca Margherita di Savoia display of flora and fauna in the primeval tors centre housing a small museum and na- Troia forests of Quarto, Spigno and Umbra, and its ture centre. Here you can see photographs of whitewashed coastal towns, the park takes the Gargano’s endemic plant life and over 200 in the no-holds-barred miracle town of San stuffed animals. Hikers can pick up a Carta Faeto D a u n i a P r e - A p e n n i n e s BENEVENTO dei Sentieri, Orsara di Giovanni Rotondo and the historic pilgrimage a handy map with pictures of the Puglia Cerignola destination of Monte Sant’Angelo. Outside park’s flora and fauna and a description of 15 Bovino the summer tourist season the Gargano is a hiking trails (in English and Italian). Canosa di Deliceto Puglia quiet and tranquil nature retreat. Specialist tour operators within the Gar- I Ascoli Satriano r p i gano Promontory also organise excursions n Accadia Sant’Agata Ariano i a di Puglia Irpino BARI FORESTA UMBRA in the Foresta Umbra and throughout the Although the Parco Nazionale del Gargano Gargano. Explora Gargano (%340 713 68 64; www Minervino takes in most of the peninsula, only a small .exploragargano.it; Via Santa Maria di Merino 62, Vieste; Murge portion of this, the Foresta Umbra (Forest h9.30am-12.30pm & 6-10.30pm May-Sep) offers moun- POTENZA of Shadows), is truly wild. The forest is the tain-biking and hiking tours and quad-bike AVELLINO 41°N 41°N Melfi last remnant of Puglia’s ancient forests, and and jeep safaris. Gargano Bike Holidays (%339 Spinazzola shades the peaks of the promontory’s moun- 717 53 34; www.garganobike.com; Localita Defensola, Vieste; Venosa 15°E Monticchio 16°E tainous interior with a blanket of Aleppo h4-7pm) offer specialist mountain-biking .