Gargano Experience - Churches Tour Monte Sant'Angelo & Santa Maria di Siponto

Monte San Angelo, is the richest center of art and history of Gargano. Visit to the San Michele Sanctuary, Unesco Heritage, a precious witness of Lombard art in Italy. In the historic center in the Junno district, you walk among low houses and alleys, immersed in the smell of typical stuffed "ostie", sweets rigged with almonds and honey. The breath of history is still alive between the Norman castle, residence of Frederick II, the Tomb of Rotari.

At the end of the visit we will taste a typical sweet of the little town, the stuffed Ostie, composed of two oval wafers of ostie, cream-white. The filling consists of toasted almonds, caramelized with sugar and honey. The legend narrates that this typical sweet was born by chance during the preparation of the sacred ostie, in a convent of nuns of Monte Sant'Angelo, the monastery of the Holy Trinity of the Nuns of the Order of St. Clare.

Immersed in this nature at its slow pace, we appreciate the delights of the Gargano, inside an ancient farmhouse that has been abandoned for almost two hundred years. With its sixty-four hectares of hunting reserve, as well as about thirty cows and horses, boars and many other animals, we discover the essence and genuineness of the products offered by relaxing in a timeless place. After lunch it’s possible to visit the estate in complete freedom.

Santa Maria di Siponto is located about 3 kilometers from Manfredonia and is an example of Romanesque-Apulian architecture, with Islamic influences. The building consists of two overlapped churches, the upper church constitutes the actual Basilica.
It stands on foundations from the Roman times. The facade has a portal of the Apulian type adorned with carvings and protruding canopy, supported by two columns on lions. On each side there are two arches on columns. The interior has a square plan; the central space is limited by four pillars, joined by pointed arches on which the lowered dome is set, terminated by a lantern with eight arches.
On the left of the church the excavations unearth remains of a paleochristian basilica, with three naves,  mosaic floor and semicircular apse. The artist Edoardo Tresoldi realized a spectacular metallic installation in a 14 meter high, that reconstructs in 3D the ancient basilica exactly above its remains.

PLAN

09:00 a.m.
Appointment with the participants. Departure

09:45 a.m.
Arrive at Monte Sant'Angelo. Visit of the city

11:45  a.m.
Ostie tasting and free time

12:30 p.m.
Lunch in farmhouse

02:00 p.m.
Departure for Siponto

03:00 p.m.
Visit of the Basilica

04:00 p.m.
Return. End of the experience

THE PRICE INCLUDES
  • means of transport
  • italian/english guide
  • "Ostie" tasting
  • lunch in a farmhouse
  • ticket for Tomba di Rotari
  • insurance
WHERE

Meeting point: Regiohotel Manfredi - Manfredonia

TO REMEMBER

Private Guaranteed Experience for minimum 4 pax
Medium/low difficulty level - suitable for adults and children

On request:
Transfer to/from Hotel - meeting point
Other days
Private Experience

For more informations about terms and conditions, click here