5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

Earlier this fall I was invited to visit a part of Italy that I hadn’t heard of before called Gargano. Gargano is a sub-region in the province of Foggia in the region of Puglia in Italy. Wow, that’s a mouth full. To make it easier for you Gargano is the literal spur on the boot that is Italy.

entrance to the UNESCO site Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, ItalyEntrance to the UNESCO site Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo 

This part of Italy was once the main beach destination for  vacationing Italians but in recent years it has become more and more popular with tourists from around the world. The area is a mix of beaches and resorts and small hilltop towns and villages near the ocean. Here you will find the UNESCO site Sanctuary of Monte Sant’Angelo, the Umbra forest filled with ancient oak trees as old as 500 years and so much more.

I really enjoyed my time here with great friends, cool experiences and of course DELICIOUS food, it is Italy after all. In my newest video I have put together the five best things to do in Gargano, Italy which will hopefully inspire you to visit yourself one day.

#1 – Visit the small towns

The coast of Gargano is scattered with small hillside towns and villages full of history. I highly recommend you spend a day or at the very least an afternoon exploring at least one of them. We visited Vieste, Peschici and Vico del Gargano.

vicolo del baccio alley way of the kiss - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

 Artwork in Vicolo del Baccio – alleyway of the kiss

A colorful alleyway in Vico del Gargano - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

An alleyway in Vico del Gargano

An old Olive oil museum in Vico del Gargano - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

 An underground old Olive Oil mill turned museum in Vico del Gargano

A pedestrian street in Peschici, Gargano - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

 A pedestrian street in Peschici 

night falls in the small town of Vieste in Gargano - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

Night falls in the small town of Vieste, Gargano

#2 – Visit the beautiful beaches

The coastline of Gargano is on the Adriatic Sea and is home to numerous beaches so of course you have to spend some time on the beach soaking up the sun. Enjoy your day at a public beach or stay at one of the many oceanside resorts.

the colorful Adriatic Sea along the coast in Gargano - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

 The Adriatic Sea along the coast of Gargano

Arianna Beach Club beach - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

The sun sets along the beach in front of Gargano’s Arianna Beach Club

#3 – Take a tour of the Vieste Grottoes

Near the small town of Vieste a popular tour to take is a boat tour of the nearby grottoes. For hundreds of years the Adriatic has splashed the shores of Vieste and the surrounding areas carving out numerous sea caves and grottoes. Take a boat tour with the boat called Desirèe and for an extra fee enjoy grilled fish and bruschetta lunch on one of the secluded beaches along the coast.

stone archway the grottoes of Vieste - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

 A stone archway along the shores of Viesta, Gargano 

inside a grotto in Vieste - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

 Inside a grotto on the Vieste grotto boat tour

inside a grotto cave in Vieste - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

 On the Vieste Grotto boat tours the boats drive right into the grottoes

boat inside a grotto in Vieste - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

In a grotto in Vieste, looking out

#4 – Eat delicious food

Pizza, burrata, fresh mozzarella, bruschette, charcuterie, olive oil, risotto, fresh seafood, pasta, orichette… drool, drool, drool… don’t go to Italy and think that you can lose weight. Not. Possible.

Seafood risotto - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

 Seafood risotto

delicious burrata cheese - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

 Fresh burrata cheese

vegetarian thin crust Italian pizza - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

 Fresh vegetable thin crust pizza

Italian pizza chef with a traditional margherita italian flag pizza - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

 The best pizza chef in Gargano at the Arianna Club resort

beachside bruschetta in Vieste, Gargano - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

Tasty fresh bruschetta served on a beach in Vieste

#5 – Explore the Tremiti Islands (Isole Tremiti)

The Tremiti Islands off of the coast of Gargano are Italy’s only islands in the Adriatic Sea. While there explore the castle-monastery, enjoy a seaside lunch, go for a swim and snorkel, take a boat ride around the islands and see some more grottoes and even go diving down to a popular underwater statue about 40 feet down in the bright blue water.

dockside in the Tremiti islands - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

Dockside in the Tremiti Islands, Gargano

boat tour around the Tremiti Islands - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

Boat tours around the Tremiti Islands

rock formations on the Tremiti islands - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

Rock formations on an uninhabited island in the Tremiti Islands

uninhabited islands in the Tremiti islands - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

 

Cailin touring around the Tremiti Islands - 5 Best Things to do in Gargano, Italy

Me!! On a boat tour through the Tremiti Islands

Whatever you decide to do when visiting Gargano, Italy you are sure to have a great time.

Have you been? What was your favourite thing to do/see/eat?

To learn more about my trip watch my newest video Gargano, Italy – the 5 best things to see and do.

 

Special thanks to Gargano OK for having me. As always all opinions and views expressed are my own.

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