Monte Sant Angelo holiday apartment: Town

The National Park: The Forest The Gargano National Park, with its 120,000 hectares of lagoons, mountains and sandy beeches, marine reserves, villages and forests, is one of Italy's most beautiful areas, its natural wealth being enhanced by centuries of history. The Foresta Umbra (or Forest of Shadows) stretches right across the centre of the Gargano massif - 11,000 hectares of pines, oaks and beeches, hiding a rich variety of wildlife, Roe deer especially and is the last remnant of an ancient forest which once covered most of Puglia. The area was designated a national park in 1991 and there are various marked walks through the forest and a Centro di Visita in the middle which hands out advice and information. For more information about the Gargarno go to http://www.parks.it/parco.nazionale.gargano/Eindex.html

The Basilica: From Monte Sant' Angelo you can venture into a landscape of limes, laurels, and towering yews, populated with foxes and gazelles. Narrow passages, streets that are virtually stairways, and little houses washed a gleaming white characterize the town. The site of Monte Sant'Angelo, standing on a spur, commands panoramic views of the surrounding terrain. you might want to visit the Sanctuary of San Michele (Santuario di San Michele), Via Reale Basilica built in the Romanesque-Gothic style. The campanile is octagonal, dating from the last years of the 13th century. The sanctuary commemorates the legend of St. Michael, who's said to have left his red cloak after he appeared to some shepherds in a grotto in 490. You can also visit the grotto -- to enter from the church, go through some bronze doors, made in Constantinople in the 11th century. Crusaders stopped here to worship before going to the Holy Land.

The Castle: The Castle - In the highest part of the town, not far from the shrine, in a dominating position on the Carbonarra valley rises the gigantic and irregular mass of the castle, fortified with solid ramparts of various epochs, which give evidence to its rich history. The castle, which originally served a military function, was transformed into a building of residential character. The tallest rampart that stands out is the very old tower of the giants, given this nickname because it was built with Cyclopean stones. The primitive part dates back to the 8th and 9th Centuries; there was an important transformation with the arrival of the Norman's, when it became the dwelling of the princes of the rule of the Honour Montis Sancti Angeli, bequeathed by the queens who are responsible for the construction of the Norman tower and the Chamber of the Treasure.

Other Activities: National Park and Forest

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