San Giovanni Rotondo (source: Visual Puglia )
Solidly tied to the figure of Padre Pio, San Giovanni Rotondo actually has a history which is much older than that of the monk proclaimed a saint in 2002 with the name Saint Pius of Pietrelcina. The town, which extends in a valley in Gargano National Park, was officially founded in 1095, but its territory was the site of settlements as early as the Neolithic Age. Its name comes from the presence of an ancient round temple, dating from the 2nd century BC, dedicated first to the pagan god Janus and then consecrated to Saint John the Baptist. A royal city under the Swabians, it suffered the dominations of the Angevins, Aragonese, Spaniards and Bourbons and was sacked various times primarily in the wars between the Spaniards and French. The figure of Padre Pio, the presence of his remains and the places where he lived and died, as well as the hospital complex Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza he wanted, currently permeate the entire life of the city, drawing crowds of pilgrims and visitors.
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Daunia and Gargano territories offer a wide variety of scenarios: sweet hills in Fortore river valley, Daunian Apennine area and Ofanto river valley, Gargano national park, Tavoliere delle Puglie tableland and unpolluted Tremiti archipelago. Where endless wheat stretches rise and one can watch without seeing the horizon there is the Tavoliere, a witness of Foggia, San Severo and Cerignola the agricultural tradition. The greenest area in Apulia: Gargano National Park. It stands for its vegetation, ranging from forests to maquis. Five Tremiti islands are considered as veritable natural heavens. Sea beds, caves and erosions carved by the waves and winds represent overpowering attractions for scuba divers and sea lovers.
St. Mary of the Graces and the Capuchin Monastery - San Giovanni Rotondo
Sanctuary of Santa Maria di Stignano - San Marco in Lamis
Tremiti Archipelago in north of Gargano National Park. Two of the islands have been populated since antiquity and the wonderful natural scenario they are in is enriched by the several stories and legends which have been passed over for centuries now, showing the tight connection between islanders, sea and nature
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Gargano National Park covers the whole homonymous cape and also includes Tremiti Islan archipelago. In this park there are several rare protected habitats such as Foresta Umbra ('Umbrian forest'), the last existing sample of a vegetation characterizing most of Mediterranean area during prehistory
Daunia, ancient Capitanata region, includes the Preappennines, the Apulian Tavoliere and Gargano. Its landscape is extremely diverse and ranges from the green of inland parks and forests to the yellow of wheat in the Tavoliere, to the blue of sea water in contrast with coastal white cliffs.
Project created in collaboration with InnovaPuglia.
Regione Puglia
Regione Puglia