Exploring the Gargano Peninsula
Gargano has a lot to offer beyond the confines of the town of Vieste. You may not want to leave your beautiful town too often, but when you do, there is a lot to see and experience in Gargano. For many this surrounding area is only explored on the second holiday trip, since Vieste itself has so much to offer. But many people like to learn about the surrounding area and experience more dur
ing their holiday trip. Perhaps you want to educate your children about history, or see types of nature you would not see where you live, or experience a change of pace in a town that feels different from your primary destination. Maybe you want to see what the people are like who live in other parts of the region, or taste a variety of new food, or go to different types of beaches. You may want to explore the wider region of Gargano Italy.
Gargano Overview
Gargano is in southeast Italy, projecting into the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is well-known for its massive rock formations at the coast, and of course its beautiful beaches beneath. The contrast between the Grey rock rising above the ocean and the blue-green ocean are breathtaking. But the oceanside is not the only prominent feature of Gargano, given the incredible nature there is to see just inland. Gargano has a National Park that is not to be missed, including the Umbra Forest a massive marine reserve that includes the Tremiti Islands and some wonderful lakes such as Lesina. The incredible range of types of trees, plants, birds, and animals is a wonder to see. And this National Park in Gargano is easy to walk and explore.
Gargano Travel
Once again, we see this region as a truly great area due to the wealth of things to do and explore no matter your interests. This information about Gargano may be helpful to those who have visited Vieste but are now looking for something just a bit different for their next trip, or those who are traveling to Vieste and have a little extra time to explore the surrounding area. Of course some who prefer to do a little touring may appreciate a relatively short Italy tour that only involves the Gargano area. One way or another, we offer this information and encourage anyone traveling near the region, or anyone planning a trip to Italy but who are unsure about where exactly to go, to consider this beautiful region.
Gargano Italy Sites:
Here are just a few examples of what you can find just beyond the limits of Vieste in surrounding Gargano, an easy distance to travel in the surrounding area:
Monte Sant’ Angelo is a beautiful town in Gargano, and is similar to Vieste. It is well above sea level, the highest area in the region. Similar to where you are staying, it has a beautiful town center, an amazing castle, and a sanctuary. The restaurants in this town are wonderful, and of course the views are unmatched. If you like great food, excellent views, and wonderful historical buildings, you will enjoy a visit to Monte Sant’ Angelo. Some people even decide to spend one night in this small town during their holiday visit, though you will miss your beautiful Vieste home away from home.
Vico Garganico is a throwback to ancient times, with small alleys and a castle that is slightly in ruin. This town is also known for its very traditional food. Vico Garganico is very different from Vieste, providing a change of scenery within the Gargano region. If you are looking for a trip in time while you visit the Gargano region, this town will provide it. Those who like history and simple but wonderful experiences like Vico Garganico.
Rodi Garganico is known for being a beautiful harbor town that has wonderful citrus groves. Like Vieste this town has wonderful oceanside activities and social life. For fun in the sun and an absolutely beautiful day at the beach, you cannot beat Rodi Garanico. If you just can’t get enough of the ocean and everything that tends to surround it, you will love Rodi Garganico.
Padre Pio Sanctuary in San Giovanni Rotondo is a museum that is informative and beautiful. If you are a student of history, or just like wonderful tales, you will like this museum. A great destination if you are visiting Vieste with children and want to educate them about the history of the Gargano region.
Foresta Umbra, is the lovely national park in the middle of the Gargano peninsula. With a lot of shade and many trails for hiking, you will enjoy this diversion. While there is nature in Vieste it is nothing like the natural beauty you will find in the Foresta Umbra. With exotic plants and animals this is a wonderful place to explore.
Churches of San Leonardo and Santa Maria di Siponto are both around one thousand years old tell wonderful stories about the region’s past but are also likely to be adored for their architectonic importance and structure.
These are just a few of the wonders of the surrounding province of Gargano that you might want to visit when traveling to Vieste for a holiday vacation. Many people enjoy exploring the area, while others enjoy just staying near their Vieste destination. These beautiful excursions are one reason why people often end up visiting the region on holiday many times over – it’s one of those places that you leave feeling that you experienced a lot but still had more to do.
Gargano Travel Planning
As far as an overall plan to visit Gargano, you can approach things in any one of three ways:
1. Make Gargano a primary location for your holiday vacation. In this case you might stay somewhere central in the Gargano region and take day trips out and about throughout the region. Of course we would suggest that Vieste be one of your day destinations! There is so much to do including the above listing as well as the wonderful beaches, nature, and lesser known historical landmarks that you could fill your days with adventure and excitement by just staying within the region and visiting a new location each day.
2. Choose a particular place or type of place when traveling to Gargano and stick with that. For example, if you stay near the coast of the Gargano region you might tour several beaches and fun oceanside destinations (rock formations, water caves, historical locations, etc. Thus as opposed to the description above you might be able to stay a little longer at each spot and travel less overall, but still experience a variety of the interesting locations the Gargano region has to offer. Besides the ocean, you focus could be on food, history, or nature for example.
3. Choose just one or two places to visit each time you travel to Gargano. Of course this is sort of the approach the rest of this website takes because it covers our favorite of the places to visit and stay awhile! But there are other excellent stops as well, and some people like to identify a good region first and then find an actual town or city to stay – Gargano for many is just such a region!
Of course there are other choices as well, and hybrids of the above, and your choice as far as your travel planning may be unique to your own tastes and preferences. The good news is that you cannot go wrong in choosing to travel to this part of this beautiful country.
Gragano Travel Conclusion
Many of you came to this website looking for information about Vieste Italy, but as you’ve done your research you may have found that there are many opportunities beyond that lovely holiday town for your vacation, whether you will still stay in Vieste and want to explore, or whether you find a small oceanside holiday town too confining. THis is why we offer this information and advice about the surrounding area called Gargano. You may want to explore the area with day trips, or perhaps even stay overnight or longer in the region to take advantage of all it has to offer. One way or another we thought it would be beneficial for us to provide this comprehensive introduction to the region.
We hope that those of you who have visited either Vieste or any of the places in Gargano we listed above will share your experiences in the comments section below. And of course if you live in the region, whether for your whole life or you moved there, we’d love to hear from you too. The area of Gargano Italy is a wonderful place to visit, but don’t just take it from us, ask someone who has been there! Best of luck no matter where your travels take you, and we hope we’ve given some valuable information if Gargano will be a part!
