The Gargano is a promontory in northern Puglia (Apulia), which is the southeastern-most region of Italy…in other words the ‘heel of the boot’. It is in the province of Foggia and juts into the Adriatic Sea in a northeasterly direction. It is approximately 40 miles long (65 km), 25 miles wide (40 km), and reaches its highest point at Monte Calvo (1065 m). The limestone and dolomite promontory is surrounded on three sides by the Adriatic with the Candelaro and Fortore rivers creating its western border. And, originally, it had been an island.  Low and rolling hills separate the region from the Apennine Mountains.  This unique geography has led to both isolation and to the development over time of a biological and cultural identity quite distinct from its southern neighbors and other regions of Italy.

 The geographical origins of the Gargano promontory go back to the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic age (about 70 million years ago).  The Karst phenomenon, a process of erosion, has also helped to create the unique landscape of the region.  The erosion has created irregularities in the limestone leading to the formation of underground springs, caves, rock bridges, and furrowed fields.  This, combined with the erosion caused by the crashing waves of the sea, have created beautiful sea grottos and rock formations that dot the entire coastline from Peschici to Mattinata. 

 Despite the shortage of surface water and its arid and stony landscape, the central and eastern part of the promontory is covered with dense forest and fertile pasturelands.  This is largely because of the abundant rainfall in the region (1.200 mm/year). During the winter there can be extensive snowfall and the temperature, while generally fairly high, may drop to 10° below zero.  The summer months can be very warm but in towns like Peschici, the strong winds off the sea, keep it reasonably comfortable.  Late spring and early fall are perhaps the best time to visit, not only because of a lull in tourists, but because of its temperate and sunny climate.

Most of the towns and villages have either grown along the higher cliffs and terraces of the south like Monte St’Angelo and San Giovanni Rotondo or to the north like Apricena. There were relatively few settlements along the coast during the Middle Ages and those that were had to protect themselves from continuous threat of barbarian pirates.  The small coastal towns grew most significantly following the Second World War, when tourism became one of the main sources of income for towns like Vieste and Peschici.

Apart from petrochemical plants in Manfredonia and some large-scale hotel development, industrial activities remain minimal. There are some quarries still mined (marble at San Marco in Lamis and bauxite at San Giovanni Rotondo) but the economy of the Gargano remains largely agricultural and dependent on natural resources, like its ancient olive groves and vineyards which thrive in the mineral rich soil. Farmers also produce grains and cereals, almonds, figs, raise livestock and as well as fish the coastal waters.  It is said that region of Puglia produces 10% of all the wine consumed in Europe – and the Gargano contributes to that level of production.  In recent years, Puglian wines and olive oils are gaining significant repute and Pugliese cuisine is becoming increasingly popular in the world’s restaurant scene.

Today’s traveler will find the Gargano surprising and remarkable in ways distinct even from the southern region of Puglia. This is due in part to its cultural and historical development, but also because the region is only just catching up with the rest of Italy.  Like its neighbor Albania, just 80 km across the sea, it has been a highly contested region of Europe and throughout its history feudalism prevailed. Important agricultural and social reforms introduced in the 19th century only really began to take hold in the 1950s. The official language is standard Italian, but those native to the Gargano speak with distinct dialects not heard elsewhere.  Some have the flavor of Neapolitan Italian, while other dialects might be heavily influenced by the Greek or Albanian languages.   Much like the rest of Puglia and Sicily, the influences from North-Africa and the Middle-East are also evident, especially in the art, architecture, and cuisine.

In the towns and surrounding country-side of the Gargano, one finds Greek and Roman ruins, paleo-christian ruins, and public and ecclesiastical buildings done in every major style from Romanesque, to Gothic to Renaissance.  But it is also home to the Gargano National Park, with its nearly 30,000 acres (120,000 hectares) of lagoons, mountains, hiking trails, seaside cliffs, white sandy beaches, marine reserves, tiny villages and forests.  It is one of Italy’s most beautiful and varied landscapes, its natural bounty only enhanced by centuries of history. It is a mystical place that has drawn people throughout the ages.  Paleolithic cave drawings can be found on the walls of the Paglicci Grotto, tombstones date back to the Iron Age and here too are some of the most important places of worship in the world.  Monte St’Angelo, the Sanctuary of St. Michael, the Convent of St. Matthew, even the pilgrimage route of Padre Pio, all suggest a kind of enchantment with this place…a place where spirituality, history, art and culture are inextricably linked to Nature and the landscape.

Localities in the Gargano (Foggia, Apulia)

•           Apricena

•           Cagnano Varano

•           Carpino

•           Ischitella

•           Isole Tremiti

•           Lesina

•           Manfredonia

•           Mattinata

•           Monte Sant'Angelo

•           Peschici

•           Rignano Garganico

•           Rodi Garganico

•           San Giovanni Rotondo

•           San Marco in Lamis

•           San Nicandro Garganico

•           Serracapriola

•           Vico del Gargano

•           Vieste