The three Gargano villages that tourists never see

When people think of the Gargano they think of the sea. Vieste, Peschici, Baia delle Zagare, the white cliffs. But there is another version of the Gargano: the inland one, the villages where tourist buses never arrive, where houses are built of grey limestone, where the bar in the main square opens at seven in the morning and closes when the owner feels like it. These places do not appear in guidebooks because they have nothing to sell. They only have themselves. And that is exactly why they are worth visiting.

Mattinata: the harbour, the quarries and the Lombard pilgrim road

Mattinata is not in the hinterland, but it is not Vieste either. It is a village that looks out over the Gulf from an elevated position, with a compact historic centre of white stone and a small but authentic harbour, where fishermen still bring in their catch early in the morning. Near Mattinata are the marble quarries of Apricena, one of the most prized stones in the Mediterranean, used in palaces and cathedrals across Europe. Through Mattinata ran the via Sacra Langobardorum, the Lombard pilgrims' road connecting the Sanctuary of St Michael the Archangel at Monte Sant'Angelo with the port of Siponto, and then onwards towards the Holy Land.

Best photo spots in Mattinata

The belvedere over the harbour, early in the morning when fishermen are unloading. The main square at sunset, with the orange light hitting the church facade. The paved lane leading down to the harbour, with flower pots on windowsills.

Ischitella: the belvedere over Lake Varano

Ischitella is a village on the Gargano promontory overlooking Lake Varano — the largest coastal lake in Italy, separated from the Adriatic by a narrow strip of land. From Ischitella's belvedere, on clear spring and autumn days, you see the lake and the sea beyond the lake in a view that looks painted: the dark fresh water of the lake in the foreground, the strip of sand, then the blue of the Adriatic, then the sky. In the village there is one serious trattoria where they make fresh pasta every day: orecchiette, cavatelli, lagane with pulses. There is no written menu. The woman comes to the table and tells you what is available. Follow her advice.

Carpino: where folk music is not folklore

Carpino is known, among those who know it, for one thing above all: the tammorra and the Carpino Folk Festival. The festival takes place every year in August — usually in the first or second week — and is one of the few folk music events in Italy where tradition is not a reconstruction for tourists but a living practice. The Gargano canto a distesa singing style, the tammorra frame drum, the tarantelle of the Gargano: they are played here because people genuinely care, not to perform cultural identity before a smartphone. Admission is free or nearly free. The experience is irreplaceable.

How to organise the day trip from Manfredonia

All three villages are reachable from Manfredonia by car in under an hour. Approximate distances: Mattinata 40 km (45 minutes on the SS89), Ischitella 80 km (1 hour 10 minutes), Carpino 85 km (1 hour 20 minutes). Ischitella and Carpino are close to each other — both can be visited in one day if you leave early. The roads in the Gargano hinterland are beautiful but narrow. Avoid large campervans on secondary roads. Always carry water — shops in small villages close in the early afternoon. Fill up with petrol in Manfredonia before leaving.

Best advice: do not build too precise an itinerary. Go to one of the three villages, walk, eat something, sit down. Do not try to do everything in one day: these places should be visited slowly, or not visited at all.

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