The Gargano

TheGargano: since ever, an open, blissful land to be conquered. In the past, and still today, men and women have been asking this land for hope. The Gargano is a passage to the East; a land characterized by spirituality and hospitality, by natural beauties and historical attractions.  It has been one of the first places to receive the evangelic message, and to amplify it.

The Gargano is a land full of closed communities, which are still loyal to their own traditions and to the vigorous lifestyle of small towns, still tied to the image of the Gargano as an almost wild and hostile land.

This (on line) guide  which is our display of affection towards a land still presenting with the same wonder and astonishment those who are visiting it for the first time and those who have always lived or spent their time there,  is ' also our invitation not to get lost among "day-tripping tourists" and, at the same time, our practical contribution for those wishing to organise their holidays or weekends in advance. The guide is undoubtedly useful also for those who believe in the adventure of cruising.

TheGargano is a land of faith and spiritual search . That is why we have dedicated an extremely detailed section of this website to all those who come to the Gargano (a Sacred Mountain for centuries) to find, recover or confirm their faith and their desire to collect their thoughts in prayer.

The main feature of Gargano, that which determined its characteristics, customs and usage, is the complete detachment from the Apennines and the rest of the Italian peninsula. "The Gargano consists almost completely of mountains and vast plateaus which sometimes slope gently and other times drop sheer to the sea."  The Gargano's harshness is however mitigated by some wonderful natural oasis, such as the fertile and millenary forests. The most famous of them certainly is theForesta Umbra National Park. The Gargano can be defined as a solid mass of mountains with tops from 600 to 1000 mt high. 
 
The Gargano does not only mean mountain. Instead, it is best known for its almost two hundred kilometre-long coast which consists of sandy shores, pinewoods, creeks, precipices, caves, and the famous sea stacks known as "faraglioni". It is indeed in front of the faraglioni, in the evocative landscape of the Baia dei Mergoli(also called Baia dei Faraglioni), that tourists may find the exclusive luxury hotelBaia dei Faraglioni Beach Resort -the sole five-star hotel on the Gargano and one of the most exclusive five-star hotels in the whole Apulia- and the Baia delle Zagare Hotel. The whole Europe and the entire World love the beauty of these places, as well as their rough and uncontaminated appearance.

A wonderful scenery where the impenetrable forest mantle alternates with the typical "Mediterranean scrub". The vegetation is rich in: Pinewoods (hosting the native Aleppo Pine); Holm-oak groves, Garrigues, Woods of turkey oaks, Beech groves.   Less than two hundred thousand inhabitants are spread over the 17 Municipalities of the Gargano territory. In the south-western area there are the municipalities of Rignano Garganico, San Marco in Lamis, San Giovanni Rotondo, Monte Sant'Angelo and Mattinata. Located along the western coast -or close to it anyway - there are instead the municipalities of Sannicandro Garganico, Cagnano Varano, Carpino,Ischitella, Rodi Garganico, Vico del Gargano, Peschici and Vieste. Like an Eastern Gate at the foot of the Gargano promontory stand the municipalities of Lesina, Poggio Imperiale and Apricena. Last but not least, the "queen of the gulf" that bears the same name: Manfredonia. Characterized by a glorious history, this city is a real custodian of the Southern Gate to the promontory and has experienced many different happenings and historical events, also in recent years. Nowadays it is the place many people dream of, and a point of reference for the economic growth of Southern Italy.

Welcome to Gargano !