1. An itinerary for the young
A tour by car, motor-bike or better, a motor home, which could last even one month, could be
more suitable to the young or to young families.
It would give visitors the chance to choose stopovers at leisure, to get the utmost enjoyment of the
landscapes and, thanks to the independence of mobility, it would give the possibility of gaining
access to remote spots and less known places of the region (those who like cycling touring could
choose instead a segment of this long itinerary – or special cycling routes as the “The Route of the
Bourbons” - while those who have a sailing boat could of course have a wonderful cruise along
Apulian shores, there a lot of ports along them!).
This itinerary is targeted at the young or at young families with children who are not of age, and
attaches importance to naturalist, fun and leisure attractions.
N.B. Any facility has been mentioned only as a piece of advice and without any advertising purpose.
Let’s start our tour from the Gargano Promontory and, after settling in a camping-site near the
Lakes Lesina and Varano, enjoy this area for at least one day, fishing eels or sea bass. Take the
S.S. 89 coastline road which unfolds for about Km.100 along enchanting villages and from
which you can see stunning views. From Peschici to Vieste in particular, you will notice typical
wooden buildings from which nets are hung for fishing, the trabucchi. Spend at least half day
laying on one of its beaches and then get a motor-boat to spend a couple of days in another
camping of the Tremiti Islands, where you could reach the island of S. Domino or the island of S.
Nicola to admire their awe-inspiring caves, bays or to do underwater fishing.
Views of the Gargano rugged coasts
Reach the Foresta Umbra, in the heart of the Gargano National Park, a natural reserve whose flora
and fauna are varied and unique; there are in fact 170 different species of birds and over 2,200
botanical species, and along its paths you can meet roe deer, badgers, foxes, mouflons, cows
(from which a famous cheese, the caciocavallo podolico, is obtained) while in the enclosed fauna
area you can admire fallow deer. About 10 km. far from Monte Sant’Angelo stands the abbey of
Santa Maria di Pulsano. In this secluded area 23 hermitages were built in VI century by Turkish
monks dedicated to ascetism.

2. A bird’s eye view of the abbey of Santa Maria di Pulsano – A hermitage
You had better stay at a farmhouse of the Daunian Subappenines to enjoy this area for a couple
of days. Visit its woods: Salecchio, unspoilt kingdom of haws and wild boars, Faeto, of European
importance for its numerous springs, Paduli di Accadia, paradise of asparagi. Spend a day in its
nice little villages such as Faeto, Bovino, Orsara, etc. At Orsara there is a bread oven which dates
back to 1520 and which is fed with straw.
Drive (or ride) to Siponto and choose another camping-site in this sandy area for a few days. Spend
one day at the Ippocampo aquatic park - one of Apulian fun parks - and another one then for
visiting the Lake Salso Oasis, where the endangered whitehead duck is protected, and the
surroundings of Margherita di Savoia’s saltpans, where you can watch other birds, flamingos in
particular. Enjoy the beach during the rest of time of your stay in this area.
The Ippocampo Aquatic Park – Flamingos in the area surrounding Margherita di Savoia’s saltpans
Move then to the hinterland, to the Higher Murge - where flower lovers can see wonderful wild
orchids (50 species live in the area of Poggiorsini), birdwatchers can see some species of birds
which are going to extinguish and in autumn mushrooms searchers can go in search of the so-called
cardoncelli, a kind of tasty mushroom which well represent the rich Apulian cuisine. Rare animals
as foxes, crows, hares, owls, larks, hawks, the endangered otter etc. live in this area; you can stay
at the farmhouse Il Cardinale at Poggiorsini, a quiet place where you can live in touch with nature
and taste typical food. From this place you can easily reach the mysterious octagonal Unesco
World Heritage site of Castel del Monte. In the area surrounding the town of Spinazzola rise the
ruins of the Castle of Garagnone, which was originally built during the Norman Empire right on
the top of the rock and made out of the local stone so as not to stand out in the landscape and be

3. therefore safer against attacks.
The ruins of the Castle of Garagnone
And if you like good-quality wines, 5 km. far from the castle, there is an old XVII century
convent which has been turned in a famous winery called Torrevento.
You could move to a B&B to enjoy for a few days a bathing establishment of the coast north of
Bari, so as to visit one of the middle-sized towns of the area, Trani, Molfetta or Giovinazzo. In
the afternoon you can admire one of their splendid Romanesque Cathedrals, or wander around the
narrow winding streets of one of their cosy medieval historical centres. In Molfetta’s surroundings
you might visit a theme park, Miragica, you can and in the night eat in the bustling town centre
of Giovinazzo or Trani or if you like dancing, you can go to one of Italy’s biggest discotheque, Le
Divinae Follie, at the edge of the wonderful seafront of Bisceglie.
You can also visit the Grottoes of Molfetta’s Neolithic dolina, the Pulo or a dolmen in Bisceglie’s
surroundings and, if you like this countryside landscape, tour it so as to see centuries-old olive
trees, almond trees, fortified farmhouses, look-out towers, rural churches, pagliari (small
buildings used for keeping farmers’ tools), oil-mills, votive chapels, millstones, public storage tanks
and water wheels (which were driven by horses or donkeys for drawing water from
underground).
A fortified farmhouse drawn by Antonietta Urbano - class IV E IGEA -- A century-old olive tree

4. Stop-over in Bari to see the Basilica of St. Nicholas, have a stroll along its seafront and its
regularly planned Murat’s neighbourhood with its elegant shops. Go to Piazza Mercantile, the heart
of its so-called movida, to enjoy a home-made ice-cream or a drink.
Move to another accommodation facility before visiting Polignano, the scenic beautiful town
where the singer Domenico Modugno was born and from whose cliffs people dive (but you must
be a real expert diver if you want to do it! yourself) and then head for Alberobello, to see its cone-
shaped houses, the trulli. After visiting the Grottoes of Castellana, you could spend half day at
Indiana Park, the adventure fun park of this town and if you or your children want to have more
fun, on the following day go to Fasano, where there is the Zoosafari, a park with 200 species of
animals and Fasanolandia, an adjoining fun park with rubber dinghy aquatic paths, roller coasters,
flat rides and , free fall towers.
In this area you might also visit a WWF oasis, Torre Guaceto where, besides the maquis, there is
a marshy area where rare birds nest and a marine reserve where dolphins and loggerhead turtles
live.
WWF Oasis of Mellitto: vegetation - A guide is describing the maquis of the Monte Sant’Elia WWF Oasis
Hundreds of kilometres of coasts are still to be driven or ridden: if you decide to head for the
province of Taranto, apart from stopping-over at the Aragonese castle of this province capital
city, you should also spend a couple of days on one of the sandy beaches of its most renowned
seaside resorts (Marina di Pulsano, Marina di Ginosa, Castellaneta Marina or Riva dei
Tessali, famous for its golf courses). You might also visit two WWF oases: Monte Sant’Elia, with
its maquis and La Vela - where migrant birds as herons and storks can be watched. In the
hinterland, in an area of steep ravines, another naturalistic area is the birdwatching reserve of
Laterza, cared for by the LIPU, an Italian association for the protection of birds.
If you move to the Salento area, you can choose, among endless seaside resorts where tourists flock
in summer, in a camping-site of the Alimini Lakes area and go for excursions to Lecce, the Apulian
capital city of the Baroque style, to Gallipoli, whose old town stands out on a promontory, and
other naturalistic areas such as the WWF Oasis of Le Cesine, or Porto Cesareo where besides a
marine reserve there area karstic grottoes (the spunnulate) in which salted waters mix with fresh
water generating a particular type of vegetation. You might also head for Acaya, a unique example
of a Southern Italian fortified town, dating back to the Aragonese period.
In Salento you can also spend some hours at an hypogeum oil mill - whose oil is particularly tasty
because millstones are placed in an underground room where temperature is constant.

5. Acaya Morciano: hypogeum oil-mill
And if you come in summer, do not lose at least one of the evenings dedicated to the pizzica folk
dance, especially the most spectacular Apulian folk event, the Notte della Taranta, which is held at
Melpignano at the end of August. On that occasion young people jump and whirl all night long,
entranced by the rhythm of this captivating Apulian music.