Gargano In the heart of Puglia
HOTEL RELAIS DEI NORMANNIThe Gargano is; a land characterized by a diversity; environment that lends itself to numerous activities.
There are many itineraries to follow, excursions to organize and sports to practice, which offer lots of fun and a pinch of adventure.
From the coast you can easily reach the hinterland and from a panorama made up of cliffs, sea caves and fascinating seabeds, one passes to the green of the Umbra Forest, to the vegetation that grows luxuriantly away from the noise and stress of city life.
Exploring the Gargano is easy. an unforgettable experience, above all for the possibility; to observe pristine vegetation and a very varied fauna.
As regards the flora, various types of vegetation can be found in the area: forests, Mediterranean scrub, karst plateaus, cliffs overlooking the sea, valleys, coastal lagoons and steppe plains.
There are over 2,000 botanical species, which grow undisturbed thanks to the favorable climatic conditions and include beech forests, Aleppo pine forests, Turkey oaks, holm oaks, elms, maples, oaks. There is also no shortage of olive groves, almond groves and vineyards, especially in the more central area. steppe. Furthermore, many varieties grow spontaneously in the Gargano; of wild orchids, of which over 80 species have been identified, which make it even more the entire area is colorful and fascinating.
From the point of view of fauna, the diversity of the species is unique. of habitats implies the presence of many animal species. About 170 species of birds nest in the Gargano, including woodpeckers, birds of prey, corvids and various aquatic birds. Among mammals it is not; strange to meet the Italian roe deer, the deer, wild boars, badgers, fallow deer, hares, hedgehogs, foxes and sometimes even wolves.
In short, nature lovers will have the opportunity to observe and come into contact with such a beautiful landscape. great biodiversity; to be surprised and fascinated by every corner of the Gargano promontory.
Info: www.exploragargano.it
San Giovanni Rotondo
San Giovanni Rotondo is famous throughout the world as the place where the remains of San Pio da Pietrelcina, a Capuchin friar who lived for about 50 years in the Gargano town, are kept.
The historic center of San Giovanni is a separate part of the city, for those who are used to visiting it for the sacred places associated with the cult of Padre Pio. The old part of the city develops in a network of close links and suggestive corners that reproduce images of an ancient past. Its patrimony of churches is important, including the one that was originally the pagan temple dedicated to the god Janus, later consecrated by pilgrims who passed along the Via Sacra Longobardorum, to San Giovanni Battista. The current name of the town derives from the shape behind this church, consisting of a round baptistery.
The environmental setting in which San Giovanni Rotondo is set offers the nature-loving visitor evocative scenarios, unique on the promontory.
Vieste
Vieste is the city located furthest to the east of the entire Gargano Promontory, in an isolated position with respect to the other Gargano centres, a reason which in the past gave it the name "La Sperduta".
With its top quality hotels, its immense sandy beaches, the numerous campsites and hotels, Vieste represents the "pearl of the Gargano" immersed in the clear blue waters towards which it stretches out and which have earned it the award several times of the Blue Flag from the Foundation for Environmental Education.
A destination for thousands of tourists from all over the world, it offers its visitors sceneries of incomparable natural and historical beauty: from the coasts that fall sheer into the sea to the nineteenth-century part made up of its famous historic centre.
Peach us
The city of Peschici stands on a cliff in a splendid position overlooking the sea. A destination appreciated by tourists on holiday in the Gargano, it still retains the influence of its Moorish origins, a reminder of Arab dominations and incursions, with caves dug into the rock and ancient white houses with domed roofs.
The historic center is full of highly suggestive views, with its artisan shops and numerous places where it is possible to taste the typical dishes of the Apulian tradition. Walking along the narrow alleys carved into the cliff or climbing the small and winding stairs that characterize it, you can breathe a unique atmosphere: the scent of maritime pine mixed with the salty air mixes with the smell of rosemary and capers that grow here spontaneously.
Among the numerous beaches that surround it, one of the most beautiful is the Bay of Manacora, located on the extreme tip of the Gargano coast with a splendid beach of very fine sand framed by rocks close to the Gargano National Park.
Tremiti Islands
Those who love the sea must go to the Tremiti Islands at least once in their life. The limit position that distinguishes it enhances its charm. Charm deriving from the deep blue waters of the Adriatic that surrounds them. The beauty and uncontaminated character of the landscapes, combined with the clarity of the waters have allowed this archipelago to conquer the denomination of "Pearl of the Adriatic".
The Tremiti Islands are about 10 miles from the Gargano coast and are characterized by the diversification of contrasting and varied landscapes, a variety that is also rediscovered on the seabed of the underwater landscape. The transparency of the sea enhances and amplifies the variety of colours. Underwater seabeds and walls alternate, just waiting to be explored.
Manfredonia
Manfredonia is located on the edge of the Tavoliere, on the largest gulf of the central-southern Adriatic. It is the port and maritime city par excellence in the province of Foggia.
When we talk about Manfredonia, we cannot help but mention its gulf, its port, which every day takes on more and more interest from a tourist point of view, and is the vital element of the local economy. In a succession of free spaces and modern bathing facilities, the arm of the sea, which extends for over 20 kilometers south of Manfredonia, always offers different possibilities to the tourist. There are also tourist villages and campsites for those who love to live even more in contact with nature. The city retains intact that charm that King Manfredi gave it in ancient times. In the streets, in the white alleys of the historic centre, you can breathe a sincere, genuine, typically Apulian air.