Gargano

t's characterized by high and indented coastlines, full of sea caves, engraved rocks and beautiful creeks, and well furnished wide sandy or shingle beaches.
The garganical promenade begins from Marina di Lesina, not to miss a stop for nature lovers:the damp area created by the two lakes Lesina and Varano, that are not real lakes but lagoons connecting with the sea, is an extraordinary ecosystem full of interesting, rare, botanical and faunal species.
Other required stops are:Torre Mileto, Rodi Garganico, Peschici(the jewel of Gargano), Vieste, Pugnochiuso, Mattinata and Manfredonia, the most important touristical places of this region.
All over this promenade, one can see several "trabucchi", that are ancient wooden drop nets, today transformed into panoramic small restaurants.

Shrines

Since the past, the province of Foggia has ever been an holy land:over the centuries Monte Sant'Angeloand the devotion for Saint Pio from Pietrelcina has made the Capitanata a big place of worship.
In Monte Sant'Angelo, the mountain devoted to the Archangel Saint Michael, there is the ancient sanctuary built in the famous cave at 800 metres above sea level where, in the 5th century the Archangel appeared.
In Cagnano Varano there is another cave in which, according to the legend, the horse of the Archangel watered in a stop during its walk to Monte Sant'Angelo:on its walls the popular devotion sees two imprints:the first of the Archangel's wing and the second of the horse's foot.
More, from a source a water considered sacred springs.
In San Giovanni Rotondo people can visit all the places of the life of Saint Pio from Pietrelcina (each year 8 millions of pilgrim come here to visit these places): the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie where Saint Pio's tomb is placed, his cell in the friary of Capuccini, the hospital "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" of interenational renown built according to the want of Father Pio, the Via Crucis, the waxwork biographical museum.
All over the area of the province of Foggia, a lot of abbeys, shrines, crypts and cathedrals remark the ancient spiritual history of this land.
Other remarkable shrines are: the Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Stignano, the Convent-Sanstuary of San Matteo in San Marco in Lamis and the Sanctuary of Madonna dell' Incoronata in Foggia, the most important Marian Sanctuary in Capitanata.

Nature Trails

In the National Park of Gargano one can find more then 35% of Italian bothanical species:the garganical roe,the pine marten, the yew, the wildcat, the kestrel, the sparrowhawk, the peregrine falcon, 120.000 hectares of lagoons, mountains, marine reserves, villages andwonderful woods.
The heart of this National Park is the Foresta Umbra where it's possible to cover its paths admiring its wonderful woods of beechs and turkey oaks and the 61 different species of garganical orchids.

For further informations: info@parcogargano.it

History

The architecture of the Capitanata's towns (an ancient word of Byzantine deriving, meaning the province of Fogia)is the result of different influences which have been marking it during the time:the Daunis, the Romans, the Byzantines, the Normans and  Frederick the 2nd, the French and the Spanish; this land has been able to integrate these different traces of civilization keeping its many wonderful prooves:archeological sites, castles and beautiful old city centres.
Between these archeological sites we remember: Ordona, San Giusto near Lucera, Grotta Paglicci in Cagnano Varano;as for the museums, they are mostly archeological.