Perched on a promontory and lapped by the sea, Rodi Garganico, amid green cone pines, olive groves and orange orchards, is considered the garden of Gargano. Rodi Garganico, suspended between the sky and the earth, is an endless succession of enchanting sceneries- golden beaches, verdant inlets, and impressive cliffs into the crystal-clear sea. The charming town is proud of its glorious seafaring history and commercial past trading citrus sailing well beyond the Adriatic Sea.
This age-old town of Greek origin preserves intact its historical centre with richly worked stone portals, finely decorated cornices and ancient private palaces.

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Rodi Garganico

The town also treasures the Romanesque Shrine of the Madonna della Libera (Our Lady of Freedom) and the Church of San Nicola of Mira and its Graeco-Byzantine belfry.

Legend has it that as the statue of the Madonna della Libera was being carried from Constantinople on a Venetian vessel, it made the ship stop just off the coasts of Rhodes. The captain disembarked to the shore to find an answer to this strange event and he saw the Madonna's image standing on a boulder. Astonished, he took it on board. The following morning when he went again to the shore, he recognised the same image in the same place.

Convinced that the Virgin wanted to stay in that place, the captain donated the statute to the townspeople who made her their patron saint. Lapped by the sea and wrapped by the scent of orange and lemon groves, Rodi Garganico offers enchanting seaside landscapes.

San Giovanni Rotondo has become well-known due to Padre Pio, the friar who painstakingly worked to set up that formidable building called the "Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza" ("Home to Relieve Suffering"), one of the most important and best equipped hospitals in Southern Italy.
Padre Pio's almost sure sanctification and the constant miracles attributed to him make crowds of worshippers pilgrim to San Giovanni Rotondo to show their admiration and devotion.

Tremiti Islands are a piece of paradise, a lushness of natural marvels- overhanging rocks, quiet bays, stacks and crags, clear cobalt blue waters, scuba divers' favourite destination.
These islands were held dearly by the Greek hero Diomedes; mythology has it that Venus turned the hero's shipmates into albatrosses named Diomedee, that even today and on moonlit nights, let loose their plaintive shriek resembling a child's cry.

Monte Sant'Angelo

The 800m-high Monte Sant'Angelo overlooks the Tavoliere on one side and the Manfredonia Gulf on the other. From a typical medieval hamlet, the city has become famous due to the Shrine dedicated to Saint Michael that attracts thousands of pilgrims every year. Built on the rock with numerous internal caverns and grottoes, the city has several monuments such as the enthralling Palatine Basilica with the marble statue of the Archangel.

Nature is superb: cobalt blue sea, magical grottoes sculptured by time, soft beaches, fragrant pine trees, green undergrowth. The seaside offers a fantastic array of some of the most charming views of the Mediterranean.
This is a unique world, truly special due to its flora and fauna. This is the land of biodiversity, just at stone's throw you will find several fantastic ecosystems- islands, hills, sea and lagoons. This represents only 0.7% of Italian territory but hosts 40% of the whole national flora and 70% of the birds nest in out region.
The Gargano coastline is stunning, with a series of enchanting natural sceneries of inlets, cliffs, coves, bays and beaches lapped by the deep blue sea. The most suggestive sights are the grottoes sculptured along the coast.