On our first day in Gargano, we went into the Umbra Forest. The forest is the last stand of native beech tree forest in Italy, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is absolutely beautiful. We were up in the mountains so, in addition to the shade from the trees, we were at high altitude which made for perfect hiking weather in May.
We went on two very different hikes, both on flat trails but with different scenery.
a hiking trail
We heard lots of birds.
the Larghetto in the Umbra Forest
We saw an insane amount of tadpoles in the pond.
we saw some deer
and we found this spectacular meadow with springtime wildflowers
Then we went in search of lunch and found a wonderful B&B restaurant in the middle of the forest. This B&B would be a great place to stay for a couple of days of nature walks in the forest. The owner gave us a tour of all of the rooms so we got a chance to scope things out for a future visit.
lunch in the forest
the menu is written on a chalk board
appetizer #1
appetizer #2
pasta with cinghiale (wild boar)
after-dinner drinks – grappa on the right, and on the left is a drink made from citrus and olive leaves
After we finished lunch at 4 pm, we scooted down to Vieste to check in at our beachside B&B for the weekend. We finished the evening with dinner at the seafood restaurant Al Dragone in the old medieval town center of Vieste. And of course, this dinner lasted for 3 hours and was delicious.
the napkins were embroidered with dragons
an amuse-bouche of local cheese with pickled beets and basil
raw seafood appetizer
Chad ordered branzino which came with a side of potato pie
Chad’s dessert – semi-freddo with chocolate sauce and almonds
and the sign on the ladies restroom door made me giggle