A continuation of a trip that started on Oct 3rd/2023
Trulli Land Oct. 8th(part 6). .
The drive from Mt .St Angelo toward Vieste - the next charming coastal town we planed to visit passes through the enchanting very green forest Foresta Umbra, of Gragano national park. (UNESCO heritage)
The beautiful drive further up along the coast, widens through the mountains terrain, and took a bit over an hour.
Some spectacular sites from the rocky coast
The coast's interesting geology is of cliffs composed of chalk-like white limestone, sparsely banded with thin layers of flint.
The coast is composed of gulfs and small, hidden sandy coves. Erosion by water and wind has shaped the calcareous rock into grottoes & arches. The coast is rugged, and many intriguing sights are accessible only by sea.
VIeste
This marine quaint resort is included in the Gargano National Park.
Vieste's tourist success is primarily due to its sea its amazing coastline, rich in sandy pure beaches very long and natural beauties, wonderful sea caves and rock formations.
Next to the town there are two large, straight beaches.
Broad Spiaggia di San Lorenzo Beach
Scialara Beach is the main beach in Vieste. and is home to the imposing Pizzomunno- limestone monolith, land-form , which made the town best known
It is on the slopes of the limestone massif creating a suggestive landscape, on which the Old Town overlooks it.
The "phallic" shaped stone connects to a local legend about a fisherman called Pizzomunno whose true love was captured by sirens and imprisoned under the sea.
The story tells how he swam out to rescue her, but became exhausted and gave up hope, turning to stone
The sea stack standing 26.6 m (87 ft) high, situated on what is also called the
Spiaggia del Castello ("Castle Beach"). because the Castello Svevo overlooking it,
Old Town
The picturesque old town is situated on the backdrop of the blue of the Adriatic Sea.
Founded by the Greeks in the ninth century BC, the fortifications and fortress walls
seen see today in Vieste can trace their foundations to medieval times when they were built to resist marauders and pirates.
Its 11 C baroque bell tower and painted ceiling cathedral, Castello Svevo, a medieval fortress, castle, the trabucchi Coastal towers and Old Town are also witness of it past
Lorenzo Quinn - pair of hands was on display when we visited the town
The poetic meaning of six pairs of giant hands, 15 meters high and joined, comes delightfully to life in the heart of Vieste, on the picturesque seafront of Marina Piccola.
The same concept was on display at the 2019 Bianale in Venice
On the Promenade at Vieste
The old town characterized by a maze of narrow alleys and steep staircases with washing dangling from the simple white houses.s with windows adorned with basil
Vieste Port
In medieval times, the port was frequently attacked by pirates, Saracens and other enemies of the Kingdom of Naples.
In 1554 approximately 7,000 inhabitants were enslaved by the Turks. Those deemed too elderly or infirm for slavery were executed.[ This event is commemorated in an annual ceremony
Until not long ago, Vieste's primary economy was fishing and agriculture.
Traditional trabucco or ancient fishing platforms made of pinewood can be spotted in several sites along the coast.
The large net is actually the trabocchetto which uses the currents of the water to trap the fish.
Now tourism,with hotels, resorts and camping facilities, has transformed the town's appearance, economy and lifestyle.
Marine fossils and rare shells are on display at the esoteric shell Malacology museum which has four rooms of fossils and molluscs, some enormous and all beautifully patterned and colored .
This great chic hotel, we stayed in for 2 nights, was just above the port, and in a walking distance to the old center. Strolling and exploring was what most occupied our off stay, in this off season beach resort, as the weather was too cold for bathing, however the lack of summer tourists' hordes , also made the visit very pleasant .
Palace Hotel Vieste
Via Santa Maria di Merino 7
+39 0884701218
info@palace hotelviste.it
View from the Hotel
Vieste, exemplary soil and plenty of sunshine facilitates this combination a great conditions for producing fresh local produce such as artichokes, arrugula, fava beans, cauliflower, fennel, eggplant and tomatoes. all used in the classic Puglia regional cuisine as does orecchiette pasta, often called Recchie or Recchietelle preapred in the town with broccoli rabe, and is one of the most famous dishes in the region.
And at this enchanting place our visit to the South part of Italy sadly ended.
By by Vieste by by Puglia
The following day (Oct 21st) we drove to Rome, from where we boarded a flight back to CA, but only after spending there 3 more nights, about which will be told in another post.
THE END!
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