Gargano National Park in Spring

Are you planning your spring holiday in Puglia and looking for travel ideas?
Today we are talking about Gargano, the green lung of Puglia.

Spring is an ideal time to admire nature in all its splendor,
The Gargano is an area with a variety of flora unique in the world, with 87 varieties of spontaneous orchids, protected by the Gargano National Park.
In spring, moreover, many religious traditions are celebrated, such as Easter and the Feast of San Michele in May.

Discover the Gargano Orchids

The Gargano Orchids grow spontaneously and are concentrated in the territories of Monte Sant'Angelo and Mattinata.
In order to fully appreciate the beauty of nature, we recommend the accompaniment of a Naturalistic guide who can recognize the ideal environments for the flowering of orchids, and visit the protected area with the utmost respect for the surrounding nature.
Among all the routes we recommend the Monte Sacro path, in the Mattinata area  (CLICK HERE).
On this trek you can visit the remains of the Abbey of Monte Sacro, an ancient pagan temple converted to Catholic worship over 1500 years ago.
We also suggest the path of the Madonna degli Angeli and the Abbey of Pulsano in Monte Sant'Angelo (CLICK HERE).
We will visit these paths characterized by breathtaking views, an ideal environment for the growth of the wonderful orchids of the Gargano.

Do you want to participate in an excursion and don't know how?
The first option is to participate in the many excursions that are organized by the Gargano Tourism Promotion Associations on all the weekends of April and the first weekends of May.
Usually, the proposed excursions are of a tourist level, suitable for a varied audience.
The second option involves organizing tours that can be customized by date, difficulty and price.
It will be possible to organize multi-day tours.
To organize one of your excursions contact us.

Visiting the Gargano by MTB, E-Bike or Gravel

Spring is the ideal time to be able to organize MTB, Gravel and E-Bike excursions.
The mild temperatures are ideal for organizing a hike or a series of excursions.

The Gargano offers a choice of Panoramic trails or beauties such as the Umbra Forest.
The Gargano National Park headland offers trails with paths of varying difficulty, to be tackled by MTB and Gravel (for the more trained) or E-Bike (more accessible to all).

We recommend the MooVeng service so you can rent a vehicle or arrange a tour with a guide.
With MooVeng you can take advantage of an APP that recommends the most fascinating routes, giving indications of difficulty, planimetry, historical and naturalistic information.

This is the smartest way to be able to organize your own excursion.
It will be possible to organize an entire biking vacation on the Gargano by following multi-day itineraries (find out more).

Religious holidays on the Gargano in spring

Gargano is a land of centuries-old traditions related to religious worship.
Easter on the Gargano is deeply felt.
Among the most scenic celebrations we highlight the celebration of the Ufficio delle tenebre a Monte Sant'Angelo (Office of Darkness in Monte Sant'Angelo) and the tradition of the Fracchie procession in San Marco in Lamis, a World Heritage Site.

Both celebrations are held on Good Friday.
The office of darkness is a religious celebration with ancient songs in Latin, which ends with the earthquake and the exhalation of Jesus.
The Fracchie are huge torches towed in procession on wooden carts.
The various districts of the inhabited area of San Marco in Lamis challenge each other in the creation of the largest and most beautiful Fracchia and parade in the historic center of San Marco in Lamis at night.
We also report the celebration of San Michele in May in Monte Sant'Angelo and Cagnano Varano, which is held on 8 May.
May is the month where the first appearance of St. Michael occurs in Monte Sant'Angelo, called the "Toro".
In Monte Sant'Angelo and Cagnano Varano there are 2 cave churches dedicated to San Michele.
The church of San Michele in Monte Sant'Angelo has been recognized as a UNESCO site.

The cave of San Michele di Cagnano is equally fascinating, although it is not well known. In case of doubts on what to do on the Gargano in spring
In this month thousands of pilgrims reach the church of San Michele in Monte Sant'Angelo grouped in pilgrimage companies.
Each of these companies reached and continues to reach Monte Sant'Angelo on foot, going up to the Basilica wearing ancient clothes and intoning ancient songs.
Both in Monte Sant'Angelo and in Cagnano Varano various religious and civil initiatives are celebrated, culminating with concerts in the square and popular festivals.

The Panoramic Gargano Tour

C'è la possibilità di visitare i punti panoramici del Gargano con un tour mozzafiato.
Potrai organizzare il tour automunito prendendo ispirazione o scegliendo la nostra proposta di Tour del Gargano (CLICCA QUI).
We recommend starting from Monte Sant'Angelo, visiting the coast of Mattinata, photographing "Baia delle Zagare" and the "Architello of San Felice", the symbols of the Gargano.

The second stop is Vieste, the pearl of the Adriatic.
Vieste, in April, is a very peaceful, relaxed town with breathtaking views.

Our journey continues towards Peschici, on a coast where the Trabucchi del Gargano, ancient fishing machines of the Gargano are carefully kept.
We recommend a stop on the Trabucco di Mimì for an aperitif or a dinner overlooking the sea at sunset. (Click Here to Book).
The return to the starting point takes place passing through the Umbra Forest, a UNESCO site. (CLICK HERE)

The Best of Gargano, not to be missed

In spring, do not miss a visit to the Basilica of Monte Sant'Angelo, a UNESCO site and the millennium old town of Rione Junno. (INFO HERE).

We recommend a magnificent excursion to discover the Umbra Forest, a UNESCO site, to discover the deer reserve surrounded by centuries-old beech woods (INFO HERE).

We also recommend not to miss a visit to the Abbey of Pulsano, with a visit to the hermitages of Pulsano (INFO HERE).
For an unforgettable experience, do not miss the sunset visit of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Siponto near Manfredonia.

In 2015, an artistic installation by the young Edoardo Tresoldi brought attention back to a little-known site.
The remains of the church have been highlighted by the young artist's work.

In case of doubts on what to do on the Gargano in spring.
A three-dimensional church was built on the remains of the early Christian church.
The technique used involves the use of metal meshes woven together.

HAVE A GOOD SPRING ON THE GARGANO