Manfredonia Italy
Frequently Asked Questions
A short distance from the centre, facing an old basin where blue and white fishing boats have rocked for generations. The centre is reached on foot or in a few minutes by shuttle depending on the berth.
At the foot of the Gargano, the limestone massif rising from the Puglian plain, where mountain meets Adriatic. The town owes its name to Manfred, son of Emperor Frederick II, who founded it in the thirteenth century.
Begun by the Swabians and reinforced by the Angevins, it guards the seafront entrance with its round towers. It houses the Gargano National Archaeological Museum, known for its Daunian stelae: funerary slabs carved nearly three thousand years ago, with strangely contemporary faces.
At the Siponto archaeological park, a few kilometres south, artist Edoardo Tresoldi recreated in 2016 the vanished early Christian basilica, full scale and entirely in metal mesh. The transparent structure lets the sky through; at sunset it seems to dissolve into the air.
By the switchback road, sixteen kilometres behind the coast, up to this village perched at about 800 metres. Better to take an organised excursion or agree a round-trip fare with a taxi: the road is a pleasure, but it takes time.
The sanctuary of the Archangel Michael, where pilgrims have descended into a cave since the fifth century, beneath an octagonal bell tower and a long stairway cut into the rock. It is UNESCO-listed among the Lombard sites of Italy. Around it, the Junno quarter lines up its white houses with steep roofs.
Two possible days, one at a time. The short version: the castle and its museum, the corso and cathedral on foot, then Siponto less than ten minutes by taxi. The mountain version: Monte Sant'Angelo, which absorbs most of the day.
Whatever the fleet landed that morning: sipontine fish soup, stuffed mussels, orecchiette with turnip tops, with a well-chilled Daunia white. Artisan ice cream on the corso closes the deal.
A light layer: the temperature difference surprises summer visitors at 800 metres. And time, since the switchback road is not quick. Note too that the southern siesta closes a few doors in early afternoon; churches and the seafront never really close.
The euro and Italian, with a strong Puglian dialect. English is little spoken: Manfredonia does not appear in large letters in the brochures, and perhaps that is why you find here the Italy from before the crowds. Bring cash for taxis and trattorias.
