Enjoy the cool of Foresta Umbra
If you find yourself in the Gargano area, you really must visit the Foresta Umbra, an uncontaminated place for taking a walk, having a picnic under yew and holm trees or stroking deer. The name of the forest comes from the the Latin umbra-umbrae which means gloomy, shadowy, dark in English.
See the sunset from Lake Varano
This lake, together with that of Lesina, is one of two coastal lakes in the Gargano area, and one of the few in Italy. You can take walks, go bird watching and fish in the reserve that surrounds it. It is separated from the sea by a long strip of land, 10 km and 1 km wide, covered by thick vegetation.
Visit the grotto of the Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo
The grotto of the sanctuary in Monte Sant’Angelo is worth a visit because of its history, which recounts four apparitions of Archangel Michael in this place – in 490, 492 and 493 AC and then in 1659. In the small town on the coast you can also sample one of the local products: stuffed wafers.
Take a swim at Pizzomunno beach in Vieste
The town of Vieste, also known as “The Pearl of Gargano”, has been awarded the Blue Flag several times for the quality of its coastal water. The beach at Pizzomunno is one of the most famous, featuring a 25-metre high limestone rock monolith which, according to legend, is a young man from Vieste turned into stone on the beach by grief over the loss of his love at sea.
Discovering the varieties of local olives
The prevailing local cultivar is Ogliarola Garganica, which grows both on the north-east coast of the peninsula, from Cagnano Varano to Vieste, and inland, in the areas of San Nicandro and San Giovanni Rotondo. In addition to this variety, other cultivations to be found are Coratina, an olive tree native to Puglia, Peranzella and Rotondella.
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