Discover Italy: Great Travel Tips - Scenic Drives - Motorcycle Tours - Art Cities - Food & Wine

This tour starts from Apricena, located on the western side of Gargano National Park, between Puglia plains and Mount Gargano. Apricena is also known as the City of Stone, as it is famous for its quarries (pic n°3), whose calcareous stones are exported all over the world. This local stone was also used to rebuild Apricena's Chiesa Matrice dei Santi Martino e Lucia, a beautiful church that had been destroyed by an earthquake in 1627. The stones of the former and destroyed bell tower have been used to build the nearby lock-tower.

Driving along the state road, you will get to the village of San Giovanni Rotondo, which is located right in the heart of Gargano National Park. This town is home to many beautiful churches and remarkable buildings. It is an important religious destination, as the remains of Saint Pio from Pietralcina are preserved here. The town is also a good starting point for nature-friendly trips to Bosco Quarto (pic n°5), which is the largest forest area in the region together with Umbra Forest or to Valle dell'Inferno (the Valley of Hell), a rocky gorge that is famous for the very high temperatures in summer.

Driving 25 kilometers east through Valle Carbonara, you will get to Monte Sant'Angelo, a town nestled in an ancient landscape made of oaks and cedars, where foxes, badgers, and wild boars live. Located 800 meters above sea level, it features lots of buildings, monuments, and historical quarters, together with Santuario di San Michele Arcangelo, a shrine that has been a worldwide-famous pilgrimage destination for centuries. This is the town where the headquarters of Gargano National Park is placed.