GUIDE SR - Gargano By Run

ENG

GARGANO By Run

Useful information: www.viaggiareinpuglia.it Recommended time of year: all year round Minimal equipment required: GPS, suitable water reserve based on the season. We recommend you bring a backpack with a water pocket (there are no water sources along the route). Food/ energy bars, windproof jacket. Fair mobile coverage.

Gargano highlights Gargano is geologically independent compared to Puglia’s continental body and this fact is heightened when running along the paths of the ridge. There are endless trail possibilities, over 400km of mapped and well-signed paths that cross the various stretches of this territory. Stretches distinguished by their vegetation which changes depending on how high they are: from 0mt to 300 mt above sea level, near the coast, there is typically Mediterranean vegetation and salty air brought on the constant winds; up to 700 mt above sea level there are pastures for livestock and woodlands of pine trees and Mediterranean shrub, often quite thick; up to 1000 mt above sea level, the inland area is characterised by fresh, luxurious woods of hundreds year old beeches: the Umbrian Forest. We have chosen three routes to cover the specific characteristics of this diversity and we have added an excursion on the nearby Dauni mountains that enclose the Tavoliere plains. The Gargano is a paradise for trail-lovers, for the challenge of some paths as well as for the sun and wind that dominate the glades making all the routes extremely difficult. The views and light contrasts are fabulous in both winter and summer. The slopes are surprising! Have a good run!

Caves, beaches, white cliffs, blue sea.

3

GARGANO by run - 4 stages I Ring Trail - Start & Finish MATTINATA – Mount Saraceno Trail II Start BAIA DI MERGOLI - Finish MONTE SACRO – From the sea to the sky Trail III Ring Trail - Umbrian Forest Trail IV Start BICCARI - Goal to the TOP OF MOUNT CORNACCHIA and back. Trail of the Daunia.

Stage I - moUNT saraceno trail

LengtH: 10 km Difficulty: difficult, unyielding climb, steep but flowing descent. Experience on uneven terrain required.

An ancient cattle track that has been rediscovered and re-

stored; an ancient necropolis; a run in the breath-taking azure views: these are the ingredients of the Mount Saraceno trail.

We depart from the centre of Mattinata with the silhouette of the ridge of Mount Saraceno (230 metres above sea level)

4

Running in the freshness even in July in Puglia? You can do! Foresta Umbra, the other side of the Gargano!

Running into prehistory. Necropolis of civilization, Daunia, on top of Monte Saraceno. Mattinata.

which comes nearer as we cross the plain below the town. In perfectly ordered rows of olive trees.

At the end of the plain, an excellent warm up, the cattle track starts, single track, which climbs directly towards the top.

Without a break, the route becomes extremely difficult and the view, as you go up, is splendid. Once we reach the summit, we follow it towards the sea, almost overhanging it.

Once we have reached the top, we are rewarded with a truly unforgettable view thanks to the necropolis dug by the Dauni, a population from Illiria, today’s ex-Yugoslavia, in VI-V BC. The descent takes us on a flight over the blue of the Adriatic until it’s lapping our feet and then we slow and return to Mattinata to enjoy a refreshing break and nostalgia of the route we’ve just run. Satisfaction!

Stage II – FROM THE SEA TO THE SKY trail LengtH: 15 km Difficulty: steep slopes but not too difficult.

6

Perched over the beautiful Mattinata’s bay.

A fairly difficult route with climbs of almost 800 m.

Starting from the sea, the bay of Mergoli, also known as the Zagare, we climb the slopes of the ridge towards the wild pastures of Mount Sacro passing the zone of Vergon del Lupo.

Dirt tracks, single tracks - some difficult - amidst woods thick with Mediterranean vegetation and grassy glades populated by meek herds of Podolica cows. True nature, at times wild, breath-taking views with the sea a constant on the horizon, touching the sky.

Stage III – Umbrian Forest Trail

LengtH: 20 km Difficulty: varied route alternating easy and relaxing stretches with difficult and very hard slopes.

Puglia, kingdom of diversity. Every inch seems different. This diversity is fully highlighted when we move from the Gargano coasts to the centre of the ridge, where the constantly rising curves bring visitors to the very centre of a dream forest, like those of fairy tales, characterised by infinite, shady beech woods where you can discover unique routes: the Um-

8

scent both for the muscles and for the disconnected terrain.

In the area of the Dauni mountains, we propose a brief run with a good total slope of over 900 metres, giving us a climb

brian Forest! A prize that nature has given to this land and to all those who visit.

If you’re a runner, you cannot but run here!

We start at the Caritate barracks and move down to the centre on a comfortable dirt track that, after a few initial bends, soars into a difficult climb that takes us to a magnificently empty world. The beating heart of the Gargano.

The route is hardly ever easy, very stimulating for all outdoor types.

The long circuit passes by a water fountain (rare in these parts) and the depressed beech wood in a continuity of climbs and descents. Rewarding for the length and the total detachment from the world outside. Recommended only for the well trained and well equipped.

Stage IV – Trail of the Daunia LengtH: 16 km

Difficulty: difficult, unyielding climb, steep, difficult de-

10

to the highest mountain in Puglia, the Cornacchia. We depart from the main piazza of Biccari, piazza Matteotti, where a paved road starts and takes us steeply up to the very top of the Cornacchia.

We move from the asphalt to the dirt track and then cross a wood, enjoying the shade it offers and reaching the glade of the Pescara lake, to the left of which a very hard stony path clambers up for four kilometres to the top, 1151 metres above sea level. The view is amazing to the east, beneath the slopes the entire vastness of the Tavoliere extends away to the Adriatic Sea with its geometric and infinite fields of wheat and sunflowers. To the west, the gaze takes in the Apennines and to the north on a clear day, we can see the profile of the Maiella.

Careful on the descent! Hard, steep and quick… a huge satisfaction for lovers of the genre.

11

Hanging on the blue.

Monte Saraceno. Running suspended over Mattinata’s plain . Gargano.

Magnificent village where from you can enjoy the sea, the countryside and the mountains. Unique!

Search and collect all the others Puglia’s small guides LE MURGE GARGANO E DAUNIA VALLE D’ITRIA COSTA IONICA SALENTO

Photo: D.Orlandi, A.Valsecchi

14

COPYRIGHT Agenzia regionale del Turismo – Pugliapromozione - first edition August 2013

www.viaggiareinpuglia.it

COPY BY SOUL RUNNING - S.P.M. PUBLISHING Srl www.spmpublishing.com

15

RUN YOUR PUGLIA EXPERIENCE