We spent a long weekend in Gargano National Park in Puglia.  Puglia is one of the three southern regions of Italy.  If you think of Italy as a boot, Puglia is the heel.  The Gargano peninsula is the spur on the back of the heel of the boot.

The Gargano peninsula is one big national park with  mountains, forests, lakes, and beaches.  There are numerous walking and hiking paths in the forest, around lakes, and along the sea, and the views are incredible. 

We drove on many winding mountain roads where the max we could drive was 25-35 miles an hour due to the curves and inclines and hairpin turns.  Apparently this was a dream for motorcycle drivers who zoomed past us and leaned into the curves.  These roads were also popular with bicyclists who have my deepest respect for going both up and down these roads.

Gargano has villages and towns lining the coast, starting in the north and running down the east side of the peninsula.  We stayed in the town of Vieste for the weekend.  We took a day trip to the town of Rodi Garganico for a festival.  We visited a couple of mountain towns that have significant and beautiful pilgrimage churches.  We ate amazing food.  And we bought some delicious stuff.

typical Puglia fare