Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
bronze and silver doors, cast in Constantinople in 1076, open into the grotto itself. Inside,
a 16th-century statue of the archangel covers the site of St Michael's footprint.
Tomba di Rotari
(admission €1; 10am-1pm & 3-7pm Apr-Oct)
A short flight of stairs opposite the Santuario di
San Michele leads not to a tomb but to a 12th-century baptistry with a deep sunken basin
for total immersion. You enter the baptistry through the facade of the
Chiesa di San Pietro
with its intricate rose window squirming with serpents - all that remains of the church,
destroyed in a 19th-century earthquake. The Romanesque portal of the adjacent 11th-cen-
tury
Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore
has some fine bas-reliefs.
HISTORIC SITE
Castle
(Largo Roberto Giuscardo 2; admission €2; 9.30am-1pm & 2.30-7pm)
At the highest point is this
rugged bijou, a Norman castle with Swabian and Aragonese additions as well as panor-
amic views.
HISTORIC SITE
Sleeping & Eating
Hotel Michael
( 0884 56 55 19;
www.hotelmichael.com
;
Via Basilica 86; s €50-60, d €70-80; )
A small hotel
with shuttered windows, located on the main street, across from the Santuario di San
Michele, this traditional place has spacious rooms with extremely pink bedspreads. Ask
for a room with a view.
HOTEL
$
Casa li Jalantuúmene
( 0884 56 54 84;
www.li-jalantuumene.it
; Piazza de Galganis 5; meals €40; lunch Wed-Mon Feb-
Dec; )
This renowned restaurant has an entertaining and eccentric chef, Gegè Mangano,
and serves excellent fare. It's intimate, there's a select wine list and, in summer, tables
spill into the piazza. It has four suites (€130), decorated in traditional Puglian style.
TRATTORIA
$$
Getting There & Away
Ferrovie del Gargano
has a direct service from Vieste (€5.90, two hours, five daily). Buy
your tickets from Bar Esperia next to Santuario di San Michele.
SITA
( 0881 35 20 11;
www.sitabus.it
)
buses run from Foggia (€4.60, 1¾ hours, four
daily) and Vieste via Manfredonia.
