Vieste and Gargano Coast

Vieste is the principal coastal resort town of the Gargano promontory, occupying a narrow limestone headland at the eastern tip of the spur of Italy's boot in the Foggia province of northern Apulia. The town divides clearly between a compact medieval old town (centro storico) perched on white cliffs above the Adriatic and a modern resort quarter spreading along the beaches to the south and north. The old town retains a genuinely medieval character: a cathedral dating to the 11th century with a notable 12th-century crypt, a castle on the northern headland, and narrow lanes converging on the Piazzetta Petrone, where the Chianca Amara (Bitter Stone) marks the site of the 1554 massacre of Vieste's inhabitants by the corsair Dragut. The defining natural landmark of the Gargano coast is the Pizzomunno — a 25-metre-tall monolithic sea stack of brilliant white limestone rising from the sea at the Spiaggia del Castello — said in local legend to be the petrified form of a young fisherman. The Gargano coastline south of Vieste, accessible by the coastal road SS89 or by boat from the harbour, offers some of the finest sea-stack and sea-cave scenery in Italy, including the Baia di Pugnochiuso and the dramatic Cala San Felice. Boat tours of two to three hours depart daily in summer and provide the most efficient way to see the coastal caves and stacks inaccessible on foot. The beaches north of Vieste — particularly Vignanotica and the coves of Pugnochiuso — are among the most beautiful white-sand beaches in Apulia. The town is also the main departure point for ferries to the Tremiti Islands and a gateway for exploring the Gargano National Park.