What to do in Vieste

Vieste is a convenient starting point for trips and excursions. It offers countless possibilities for every type of traveller, romantic, sporty, nature lover, trekking, biking, or anyone who simply wants to abandon themselves to the beauty of the beaches and clean sea.

Excursions to do

° historic center of Vieste - excursion independently or with a tour guide (it is advisable to book 1/2 weeks in advance)
° sea caves and Gargano coast - departure 2x a day from the port of Vieste (morning and afternoon), duration about 3 hours, stop for a swim
° Tremiti islands - departure from the port of Vieste in the morning, return in the late afternoon, possibility to purchase the complete tour of the islands
° sailing excursion - private cruise for a small number of passengers, full day with lunch on board
° La Salata necropolis - represents the cemetery complex from the early Christian era, located in the Santa Maria di Merino archaeological park about 8 km from the center of Vieste in the direction of Peschici.
° tour of sacred places - Monte Sant'Angelo, a UNESCO city, and San Giovanni Rotondo, organized 1/2 day or full day excursions. These excursions can also be done with your own car
° excursions to the National Park - organized excursions aboard jeeps and quads, nature trails, excursions to farms
° trekking and biking Gargano - with organized groups or on your own route, immersed in the Gargano nature
° wine tasting - tastings organized in the cellars of Vieste
° fishing experience on the trebuchet
° lots of heliotherapy and thalassotherapy

Management of Villa Ascoli is happy to help you organize your excursions

Vieste 

Vieste is the town on the lime spit of name „the head of Gargano“ (Testa di Gargano). There are a lots of olives´plantations around all the tlen. Vieste is under the provincia Foggia – this town is 1 hour far away from Vieste, was appreciated several times with “Blue flag” (Bandiera blu). In the past Vieste was a fishers´colony, in these days when has about 14 000 of habitants is the bigest contribution from the tourism. The castle from middleage and white hoses on the rock over the sea are the nice view point of this big summer resort.
You will find a magnificent city with clean air, dream beaches, crystal clear sea, excellent cuisine. A city of a thousand colors from sunrise to sunset.

Beaches, coast and Tremiti islands

There are countless bays and beaches around Vieste, where, even during periods of increased tourism, you can enjoy a beach with clear waters and pristine.
The territory of Vieste there are also many caves, you can visit with our motorboats, for example small bell Cave, Cave Two Eyes, Cave of the Sirens, etc..
North of Vieste, an hour away by catamaran, there are the beautiful islands Tremiti

 Foresta Umbra

Who stays in Vieste must make at least one visit in the near Foresta Umbra, a state-owned forest that covers pads of Central Gargano, an area of about 15,000 hectares. For its natural value is currently the subject of particular care; some areas have been placed under National Park of Gargano. There are equipped areas for picnicking and trails to allow hiking or mountain biking.

 San Giovanni Rotondo, Monte Sant'Angelo

San Giovanni Rotondo is the town with about 26 000 inhabitants in the province of Foggia. It´s a part of the National Park Gargano and Comunita Montana del Gargano.
San Giovanni Rotondo has the sema religiouse fete as the othee small towns in this part of Italy. One of the most important celebration is in the evening of 15th August – Santa madonna. Other important celebration si the Santa Maria delle Grazie which is organised in the 8th – 10th September. Fot this occasion is very rare picture of Madonna put near the Capuchins´monastery where lived Padre Pio. From this place is drift to the church of Matrice and here is for three days of celebrations.
The historical centre is very nice and interesting. In this plac eis really big cult of Padre Pio.
By the walking of the nice south italian streets you could see the curch of San Giuseppe, San Nicola, the oldest church of this zone – Santa Caterina, the church San Leonardo – the most important church , where is in the entrance statue of St. Archangel, church Sant´Orsola – the diamond of history, etc…
If you will visit this place you could feel the history in ever step.

Monte Sant'Angelo is a town of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, about 15 km north of Manfredonia by road, on the southern slopes of Monte Gargano. Appeared ath the beginning of the 11th century, in 1086-1105 Monte Sant'Angelo was the capital of a wide Norman dominion. The grotto in the nearby, in which, according to the legend, St. Michael appeared in 490, 492 and 493, was the end of a famous pilgrimage itinerary, which started from Mont Saint Michel.In the 17th century the city became part of the Kingdom of Naples, to which it belonged until the unification of Italy in the 19th century. The most important attraction of Monte Sant'Angelo is the Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo, built in the 13th century by Charles I of Anjou.

Other sights include:
The Castle has bastions of different ages. The most ancient part, called Torre dei Giganti ("Giants' Tower") is a pentagonal tower 18 m-high, with walls 3.7 m thick. The first news on its history dates back to 979; later, it was the residence of Rainulf I of Aversa and the Robert Guiscard, who built the Norman Tower and the Treasure Hall. Emperor Frederick II restored the construction to use it as residence for his mistress Bianca Lancia, while under the Angevines it was used mainly as prison. Later, from 1464 to 1485, the fortress was the residence of the exiled Albanian condottiero Skanderbeg. The castle was largely rebuilt in the late 15th century by Ferdinand I. Accordin to a legend, the castle is currently home to the gost of Bianca Lancia (popularly known as "Biancalancia"), whose sighs can be heard especially in the winter time. The Castle of Monte Sant'Angelo in an early 20th century photograph.
The Tomb of Rothari (Baptistry of San Giovanni in Tumba), a baptistery dating back from the 12th century accessible from the 18th century of St. Peter. The portal has notable reliefs with Biblical stories. The name of "Tomb" is a misspelling of the Latin term Tumba, meaning "dome".
The church of Santa Maria Maggiore (11th-12th centuries). The façade has blind arcades and a baldachin portal with sculpted frames. The interior has a nave and two aisles, divided by columns with sculpted capitals. The walls have Byzantine-style frescoes.
The Abbey of Pulsano, at 8 km from the city. It was built in 591 over a Pagan temple and was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1646.

Monte Sant'Angelo's economy is still largely based on agriculture and breeding. A certain touristical importance is related to the presence of the St. Michael's Sanctuary.