Holidays in Vieste for the locals feels pretty natural – but not only for them. This town with just over 13,000 inhabitants was visited by 2 million tourists last summer.
Vieste itself is very picturesque, full of character, and it’s a great Gargano gateway to Monte Sant’ Angelo, San Giovanni Rotondo etc., so people keep coming back.
In my opinion there are at least 6 reasons why spending your summer time in Vieste would be a great idea.
Reason 1: Best Beaches in Vieste: From Private Lidos to Free Sands
The coast of Vieste is long and sandy, exactly as I believe it should be, which is why, in my opinion, Vieste has the best beaches in Gargano Plus, it’s usually windy, so even at 40 degrees Celsius, the heat feels bearable.
The beaches have a paid (lido) and a public/free part (spiaggia).
In lido you can rent a sunbed and an umbrella. Usually, private/paid beaches are also organized enough to offer parking, bars, where you can have lunch, or just coffee or ice cream; some paid beaches also have campsites.
Costs of lidos are lower in June, rising in July, and peak in August, when all of Italy is on holiday. Often the prices of parkings and sunbeds are higher at weekends than on a normal day. Last year, prices jumped from 10 euros (2 sunbeds + umbrella) to 20-25 euros during in July and August.
Bear in mind that during the pick season (especially at weekends) it might be a bit tricky to find a sunbed in the most popular lido – Italians pretty often book them for their whole holidays. You won’t potentially face this problem in June or September, when there are not so many tourists.
Spiaggia is a free part of the beach, where you can bring your own sunbed and umbrella, or, following the example of Italian families, chairs, a table, and plenty of food. Just remember to plant your umbrella firmly in the sand, as it might blow away with the wind.
The coast with Vieste beaches stretches for several kilometres, so even with a large number of holidaymakers you don’t feel crowded. And this is another advantage, as I don’t like crowded places. The Adriatic is shallow and you have to walk a dozen meters into the water to dive That’s why beaches in Vieste are especially safe and great for families with children; they can splash in the water without causing their parents palpitations. And the kids will be happy digging in the yellow sand, building all kinds of structures.
Because of the constant winds, Vieste and its beaches are loved by water sports enthusiasts. You can practice (and learn) windsurfing, kitesurfing, etc.
Ah, I almost forgot about admiring the sunrise and sunsets from the beaches of Vieste. I’m telling you, both are impressive, even if the first requires getting up early. Of course, the sunset is more colourful.
Reason 2: The Legends of Pizzomunno and the San Felice Arch
The winding road to Vieste stretching along the coast leads through the mountainous Gargano, so we can admire lovely landscapes. Near Vieste, there are two popular and picturesque places for photographers, especially when you see them for the first time. Or rather, three, if you count the recently weirdly renovated tower, from which there is a beautiful view of the arch and the sea. You’ll be delighted – isn’t it the best way of starting your holidays?
The first of them is the limestone arch of San Felice, naturally formed by water and wind.
The second ‘photographic’ object is a 25-meter white monolith, called Pizzomunno located on the beach just before entering the town. Surrounded by white cliffs and greenery, standing very close to the blue water (or in water when the tide is high), no wonder it’s a symbol of the town. But that’s not the only reason: there’s a love legend associated with the monolith.
The protagonists of the love story are a girl named Cristalda and a boy called Pizzomuno. As always in such stories, the girl is incredibly beautiful, and the boy is handsome, tall and strong. These two love each other very much.
Pizzomuno works fishing at sea every day. Being good-looking he has admirers – sirens. In every legend, sirens have rather nasty characters and they seduce fishermen/sailors, often drowning them later on. Lovely, indeed. The sirens in Vieste are the same, so they want Pizzomuno for themselves. Unsuccessfully; he’s is faithful to his beloved.
The humiliated and jealous underwater lassies decide to get rid of their rival. When Cristalda stands on the shore, they pull her into the water and drown her. They believe that Pizzomuno, looking for solace, will throw himself into their arms. Nothing of the sort happens, frozen in despair Pizomuno turns into a rock, and the sirens have to find a new object to stalk. Legend says the lovers reunite for one night every 100 years.
Whether you believe in legends or not, the rock itself is absolutely striking. To commemorate the Pizzomunno legend, in Vieste there are whitish stairs – stairs of Love (Scalinata dell’Amore) painted with red hearts and a poem in honor of Cristalda and Pizzomunno. Everyone takes photos there.
And on one of the streets leading to the square by the sea, if you look down, you’ll also see small red hearts on the pavement.
On the way to Vieste you can see a trabucco (trabucchi plural), i.e ancient wooden fishing constructions. There are pretty a lot along the coast of Puglia; some of them were transformed into fancy restaurants, so you can enjoy dinning on a traditional trabucco. The others were left to themselves.
Reason 3: Holidays in Vieste: Shell Museums and Hidden Surprises
Vieste is not only about the sea—it’s also a lively town with cafés, restaurants, and a few interesting sights.
You can admire the castle (only from outside, since it belongs to the Italian Navy), pass through the old Porta ad Alt, or step into the 11th-century Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.
One of my favorite discoveries was the Museo Malacologico, a museum with a stunning collection of shells and other marine specimens. I spent over 2 hours there, even though the museum is really small; I was amazed by the unusual shapes, sizes and colours of the shells.
The only thing that felt odd was the gift shop, which sells dried starfish, seahorses, and other such strange things. It didn’t sit right with me. But the place itself is absolutely worth a visit, so apart from these weird souvenirs, this tiny museum has gathered a really great exhibits. For lovers of the sea and oceans, the opportunity to see such unusual objects will be a treat. Actually, you don’t have to love the sea to feast your eyes on the unique large and completely miniature shells from all over the world displayed there.
Since the museum doesn’t have a website; or rather, there is something there, you can check the opening hours on Google.
Reason 4: Getting Lost in the Medieval Old Town
Perched on white cliffs above the sea, Vieste’s old town dates back to the Middle Ages. Its narrow alleys, small arches, and terraced houses with tiny balconies are simply lovely. Walking on the street among the cliffs, you can sit in one of numerous restaurants or bars enjoying a drink with the sea view and soaking up the summer atmosphere. In my opinion it’s not the kind of old town full of “must-sees,” but that’s part of the charm—it invites you to take your time.
Reason 5: Boat Tours: Discovering the Gargano Sea Caves
Sea caves boat tours along the coast are a popular tourist activities in Vieste. The Gargano coast seen from the sea is remarkable for its bigger or smaller caves, which were created by the intensive work of water and wind.
There are about 20 of them, discovered in 1954 by two fishermen. For ages, no one was particularly interested in the grottos and only with the influx of foreign holidaymakers they become one of the main attractions of Gargano penisula.
In the city centre you will find many tourist offices providing trips along the coast. Prices start from 45 euro, and of course they depend on the duration of the trip and the company.
During low tide you can reach small, still charming though caves located near the beaches. You can also reach a small island on Gatarella beach. From the shore you can see a rock that supposedly looks like a cat (does it? not really) and an islet. During low tide the water level drops enough to allow you to walk down to it – it’s about shoulder-deep. (I’m 166 cm tall). While I was busy exploring the interior of the islet, I missed the fact that the tide had started to rise and I had to swam back to the beach.
It’s similar with the caves I mentioned above. There are several on Gatarella Beach (I reached two of them) you can get on foot from the sea when the water level is low. However, if you don’t know the tide times and the water rises quite rapidly, returning from the caves might end up in waist-deep water instead of knee-deep. It’s worth keeping this in mind, especially if you want to show the caves to your kids.
If it comes to the rest of beach-near caves, I’d rather not go there without a kayak/boat.
Reason 6: Into the Wild: Hiking the UNESCO Foresta Umbra
Absolutely my favourite place in the Gargano National Park – a forest with shamelessly tall, lush green trees in spring and summer. In autumn and winter the forest is colourful: some trees are still green, winter plants are blooming, families of strange fungi show their colours and shapes. Umbra means ‘shady’ and because of the dense vegetation it is the right name for this forest. And because of it, it you can also hide there from the summer heat.
The place is perfect for a short or long walk, as there are a several hiking trails in Foresta Umbra, cycling, jogging or just a picnic by the lake. If you are into an active tourism, definitely you’ll find something to do there. On summer Sundays the forest can be crowded , because I’m not the only one who likes this place.
Foresta Umbra is home to wild animals, so with a bit of luck you can see wild cats, foxes, badgers and dormice there. You can also feed deers, supposing any oh them is interested in your treat (they’re spoiled) and wants to get close to the net.
Why Vieste is my no 1 in Gargano?
Vieste is definitely my number 1 for beaches in Gargano, but not only for that reason. I simply like this lively town in the summer. Out of season, as most summer towns, Vieste is rather sleepy, what is pretty important if you’re planning visiting it in spring or winter.
When we went there one time at the beginning of May, everything was closed. Starving, we wandered around the city hoping to find something open where we could have lunch. Finally we got to the only restaurant open – Molo54 in the port, and had a tasty lunch finished with a fancy dessert.
Would you spend your summer holidays in Vieste? Let me know in comments.
