# Gargano: forest, cliffs and sea stacks

> 3-day road trip of about 87 km (54 mi) with 6 stops, from Manfredonia to Foresta Umbra. About 1 h 12 min of driving in total.

Source: https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b1-gargano/

**At a glance:** 3-day road trip of about 87 km (54 mi) with 6 stops, from Manfredonia to Foresta Umbra. About 1 h 12 min of driving in total. The spur of Italy’s boot: an archangel’s cave sanctuary, white sea stacks, Vieste’s monolith and an ancient beech forest.

| | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 87 km (54 mi) |
| Driving | 1 h 12 min |
| Suggested days | 3 |
| Stops | 6 |
| Route | Manfredonia → Foresta Umbra |
| Countries | Italy |
| Updated | September 12, 2026 |

## Route description

From Manfredonia and its Swabian castle, climb the hairpins to Monte Sant’Angelo, whose cave sanctuary has drawn pilgrims for fifteen centuries. The whitewashed Junno quarter below it is a maze of stepped lanes.

Return towards the coast at Mattinata and follow the SS89 and the coast road north-east. This stretch runs high above the sea past the stacks of the Baia delle Zagare and the arch of Architiello di San Felice, with many bends and few safe places to stop.

Vieste sits on a rock above wide beaches, with the Pizzomunno monolith at its foot; boat trips from the port visit the sea caves along the cliffs. The road continues to Peschici, perched on a cliff above its bay.

Cut back inland through Vico del Gargano to the Foresta Umbra, where tall beeches shade picnic spots and marked trails. The Gargano gets very busy in August; May, June and September are far quieter and still warm enough to swim.

## Stop-by-stop itinerary

1. **Manfredonia** (Italy)
2. **Sanctuary of St Michael** (Monte Sant’Angelo, Italy): An ancient pilgrimage cave dedicated to the Archangel Michael, reached down a long stairway, in a UNESCO-listed town high above Manfredonia.
3. **Baia delle Zagare** (Mattinata, Italy): Two white sea stacks off a cove below the cliffs of the Gargano. The best views are from the coast road and from boat trips out of Vieste or Mattinata.
4. **Pizzomunno** (Vieste, Italy): A 25 m limestone monolith standing on the beach just south of Vieste’s old town, the subject of a local love legend. Boat trips to the sea caves start from the harbour nearby.
5. **Peschici** (Italy)
6. **Foresta Umbra** (Vico del Gargano, Italy): An old beech forest in the middle of the Gargano, part of a UNESCO series of European beech woods. Picnic areas and marked trails start at the visitor centre on the road across.