Villa Paola consists of a bedroom with large window, double bed and 2 bunk beds, in another room there is a kitchen, bathroom with shower, covered veranda with table and chairs and private garden with outdoor hot shower and barbecue. Independent entrance ideal for those who bring the dog. Parking space inside. The internal restaurant is available for excellent typical local menus with fresh fish delivered by the fisherman friend. In the morning we prepare cakes and typical pastries available for a breakfast to be consumed in the appropriate area of the internal Bar. The nearest beach, at 550 meters, is "Il Capricorno" botanical park houses native and exotic flora, along with an ancient citrus grove within a vast pine forest, there are areas with olive groves, whose centuries-old plants speak of the breath of this land of Puglia. The majestic and generous blades of prickly pear, with purple, orange or white fruits, very sweet and different in taste and aroma, are typical of the area. There are giant capers of the Gargano, with the most beautiful flowers of an orchid, very elegant, which open from the famous edible bud. The bright blue bellflowers, which cling everywhere and catch the eye, the datura from the large bell flowers, pink, yellow and white, with an intense oriental scent, and various species of jasmine, bougainvilleas with rare colors, agapant as fires, Jacaranda and Erytrina cristagalli trees, rare plants from Borneo, South America, Madagascar, Africa. The beautiful Baoinie with big fuchsia, red, white and bilobed leaves, the Choritie with barrel-shaped emerald trunks and big thorns, and beautiful pink and white flowers. The seven-hectare park is a refuge for any sedentary or walking bird species.
At 900 meters the splendid cove of Molinella. Molinella Beach has a shallow sandy bottom 400 meters long, set between the green and two rocky peninsulas where the sea has carved incredible natural pools.
In the morning, starting from Villa Carla you can enjoy the spectacle of the sunrise and along the cliff of Molinella approach the Saracen Tower and 4 Trabucchi. Trabucchi, ancient fishing tools, are widespread along the coast from Vieste to Peschici (where not there is a promontory on which one of these gigantic fishing machines does not arise). They are protected by the Gargano National Park and have returned to activity thanks to the preservation and enhancement of the Park, which has adopted them as a sign of respect for the Gargano tradition. The distance for this Trekking route is 60 minutes.
Just 15 minutes drive from the immense and spectacular Foresta Umbre, from the Gargano National Park is one of the most beautiful places in Italy, for the variety of landscapes and consequently of natural habitats, unique in their entirety. Includes delightful villages characterized by typical local white houses, picturesque lakes, fascinating rock formations, long beaches and the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic, many times awarded the Blue Flag.
Within the Gargano, which is the largest promontory of the entire Italian peninsula, there is also the Foresta Umbra. Hundreds of millions of years ago the Gargano was an island completely covered by forests; when it joined the mainland, forming the famous "spur of Italy", it still maintained its island characteristics. Of the immense green area that encompassed it all remained only the Umbra Forest.
According to some sources, the name derives from ancient Umbrian populations who resided inside the forest, but most probably it is due to the fact that the vegetation is so thick as to pass just the rays of the sun, so the environment is dark and full of shaded areas. The Foresta Umbra is located in the heart of the park and reaches up to 832 meters above sea level with Mount Iacotenente.
The multiplicity of botanical species includes broad-leaved, beech-woods and many species of flora in the undergrowth, especially orchids. The brown soil of the forest is ideal for growing vegetation. Its very particular composition comes from a unique degenerative process that can last for millennia and involves organisms such as larvae and fungi, which feeds among other things wood.
In fact, despite the deforestation and the fires, nature in this natural expanse is more luxuriant than ever. The beech is definitely the tree that most represents the forest with its thick and homogeneous foliage. Also the fauna is very varied. Among the animal species are certainly to mention the roe deer, very shy herbivorous typical of this area, the badger, the wild cat and many types of birds, among which we find many species of woodpeckers, some predators such as the eagle owl and a infinity of species of passerines. It is easy to imagine how precious the Umbra Forest is for all those who love birdwatching or for all wildlife scholars and lovers. The Forest is also very popular with nature photography enthusiasts, who find in these areas ideas for truly unique shots
Vieste is only 2500 meters from Villa Carla, you can spend unforgettable evenings in the "Old Vieste"
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The historic center of Vieste, commonly called "Vieste Vecchia", stands on a rock dominating the sea that extends from the beach of the castle to that of the "small marina" through the thin strip of land of "Punta San Francesco".
The ancient village, of medieval origin has kept almost intact the original features, with its characteristic irregular streets, squares / belvedere (open to the sea) and the terraced houses marked in the prospect by small balconies / balconies (mignali) and joined at the narrow streets by small and characteristic arches. Inside the ancient city walls, the architectural fabric becomes very thick and marked by a maze of narrow streets in steps. The residential buildings, churches and building types appear to be compact and massive, almost like a single constructed episode. The south-east part of the village, referred to as the "Ripa district" extends over the steep bank of the sea, creating a show of incredible contrast between the immensity of the sea and the ancient town overlooking it overlooking it. The "Ripa" had the ancient function of natural harbor, a real gateway to the city in an era in which the lack of roads made the shift by sea a necessity, making it so frequent commercial exchanges with the inhabitants of today's Croatia.
Among the many houses stands out for its simple architectural forms the small church of San Pietro d'Alcantara.
Of the streets of the ancient village it is worth mentioning, via Judeca, which testifies to the ancient presence of the Jews, with that charm of a small casbah, survived from the times of the Saracen invasions, built with the spontaneous logic of those who thought to weave human relationships over the centuries before building architectures, succeeding very well on both fronts. Going down via Uria you will find the Piazzetta del Seggio, also on the Ripa overhang. The Seat or Seat of St. Giorgio (now a hotel) was a low building, with a square base, on which two large arches opened, and was surmounted by a clock tower. The castle and the cathedral, dating back to the Middle Ages, are the main buildings of the medieval village.
A few meters from the cathedral we find "the Chianca Amara", a stone / monument on which women, old men and children were killed in the year 1554, during an incursion of the hordes of the bloodthirsty Turkish pirate Draguth Rais. Little frequented during the year, in summer the narrow streets of the old town are populated by bazaars and shops (located in the former stalls) where you can find local crafts (mainly earthenware objects, ceramics and Lecce stone) and various souvenirs and provenance.
Have a nice holiday in Villa Carla
