A Day in the Gargano Peninsula, Italy

Hello friends. Today I’m recommending a one-day travel itinerary: the Gargano Peninsula. This is an isolated mountainous area located in the Foggia province, in the Apulia region of southeastern Italy and it’s one of the most interesting and beautiful places in the country. I visited Gargano in May 2024, repeating a route I took with friends last year. I started my journey from Bari in the morning, traveled to San Giovanni Rotondo, then to Monte Sant’Angelo and finally returned to Bari. It was a challenging trip because part of the journey in and out of Gargano involves mountain roads. My goodness, the views are stunning. Sitting in the passenger seat and watching the mountains, the sea, the greenery and the blue sky is incredible, but if you’re the driver it’s hard to enjoy the scenery because you need to focus on the road.

On this journey while returning from Monte Sant’Angelo, we encountered buses on the mountain road. Some drivers speed dangerously on these roads and at the same time, buses carrying tourist groups navigate these narrow mountain paths. Tourists sit in large groups by the roadside, while some buses and vehicles take up part of the road. It was truly a tough situation, but I managed it and awarded myself a medal for completing this journey as a driver.

You can also travel to San Giovanni Rotondo and Monte Sant’Angelo from Bari by public transportation, but it requires courage. First you’ll need to take a train to Foggia, which is easy, but then you’ll have to find a bus and bus schedules can be tricky to figure out. While this journey takes a little over two hours by car, it can take almost half a day by public transport.

If you’re planning to stay in Gargano a day trip might not be feasible. If you’re traveling by public transport, you may need to spend a few days in Gargano. During this time, you can also visit places like Vieste and Peschici and explore the stunning beaches at Rabucat along with the restaurants. This is also a great option.

What can you do in San Giovanni Rotondo? First and foremost you can visit the huge complex that is the sanctuary of Saint Padre Pio. Padre Pio’s tomb was relocated in May 2024 to a semicircular niche behind glass in a new and beautiful church. This sanctuary is a place where pilgrims flock year-round to offer their donations and pray for health. The area also has complexes known throughout Italy for cancer patients.

As for Monte Sant’Angelo it’s an extremely important and symbolic place for Christians. Here the basilica dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel is located in a cave within the mountain. To visit this sacred site, you must pass through a magnificent Baroque façade and descend a long staircase deep into the mountain. According to legend, the Archangel Michael appeared in this cave four times.

The views from Monte Sant’Angelo’s historic castle are breathtaking. I recommend visiting the castle to see the orange roofs of the old town’s white houses, the sea and the mountainous areas filled with greenery. There’s also a museum inside the castle, so visiting it is doubly worthwhile.

You can also buy delicious cheeses and typical local products like limoncello and limolivo from local shops. However, on this trip, we were disappointed by the poor quality of the food at the restaurant we visited.

Whenever I go to Apulia or Italy, I try to take a different route. This time when I arrived at Monte Sant'Angelo, instead of heading to the old town and the castle, I took a different path. As a result I stumbled upon a scenic terrace with an incredible view. This terrace is a great spot to see the white houses of the old town and the stunning views leading out to the sea.

I didn't visit the castle in Monte Sant'Angelo, but I recommend everyone to do so. It's worth it for the views alone. After a long drive I was exhausted, so instead of entering the castle, I decided to sit in the shade and wait for my friends.

An interesting event occurred while I was in Monte Sant'Angelo. Two elderly people, who were also seeking shade under the same tree, came up to me and began discussing the groups of tourists who were getting off the buses and walking toward the Basilica. One of them said "Nowadays all the pilgrims go to San Giovanni Rotondo to see Padre Pio. Only the remnants come here." The other replied "No way. A hundred years ago, no one had heard of Padre Pio. But this place, the cave of Saint Michael in Monte Sant'Angelo, has been attracting pilgrims for thousands of years."

I listened to their conversation and smiled inwardly because on this trip, I had visited both the tomb of Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo and the shrine of Saint Michael in Monte Sant'Angelo. They continued their debate. "I’m a local here, born and raised" said one of the men. "It's been almost a hundred years and the mountain of Saint Michael is sacred. I grind the stones from the cave, mix them with water and drink it. I’ve never been sick." When I heard this I couldn’t resist turning to them.

The man who claimed to drink the stones was short, elderly and had white hair. He didn’t look a hundred years old, but he was quite lively and healthy, with a face full of wrinkles. I would have guessed he was around 70. His companion appeared older. "But those stones must be from the church shop inside Saint Michael's cave, not the ones sold in the souvenir shops on the street" said the man who drank the stones. His companion responded "No way, you’re almost a hundred years old, but you’re still young. I’m 70 and I can barely walk." This man was slightly overweight and used a cane, so he couldn’t stand for long and sat down next to me.

I listened to their discussion about the stones from the church shop. I’ve seen those stones myself. In the souvenir shop next to the Basilica of Saint Michael in Monte Sant'Angelo, small pieces of stone from the cave are sold. My friends, who were with me bought these stones. One said "I’ll carry this for myself" while the other said "I’ll give this as a gift to my mother or father." The girls bought a bunch of these stones, but I didn’t. I didn’t know what they were or what they were for. However, after listening to these men, I’ve decided that next time I visit Monte Sant'Angelo, I will definitely buy some of these stones.

Later on the man who claimed to be a hundred years old approached me and explained how he drank the stones. "You can grind these stones, mix them with water and drink it. I drank a lot of it when I was a child. I drank half of this mountain and nothing ever happened to me. I’ve never been sick" he said.

All the streets and buildings in Monte Sant'Angelo are now equipped with water, sewage and electricity. But it wasn’t like this when the city was first built. The historic center of Monte Sant'Angelo developed around the Shrine of Saint Michael in a rather haphazard manner. It mainly consists of single-room buildings with sloping tile roofs, closely packed together. The city’s streets seem unplanned and are shaped according to the natural terrain.

While traveling I noticed that in many old towns, especially those built on solid rocky ground, there are stone cisterns under the houses that collect rainwater. Almost every courtyard or house has a well that draws water from these cisterns. In the historic center of Monte Sant'Angelo, these stone cisterns and wells are also common.