Discover Foggia: City History, Nature and Olive Oil

Foggia between City History and Nature

Foggia combines city history with wetlands, forest trails, birdwatching and regional olive oil. For planning your trip, it is therefore worth looking at the different facets of the city and the Provincia di Foggia: cultural interests lead to museums, churches and archaeological sites, while Lago Salso, Foresta Umbra and the coastal trails of the Parco Nazionale del Gargano offer different highlights. When choosing a hotel in Foggia, it also helps to consider which of these themes are most important to you.

Museums, Churches and Historical Testimonies

The Museo Civico di Foggia displays archaeological finds from prehistory to the Roman era, including finds from Arpi and other ancient settlements. The museum also includes a lapidarium with sculptures and architectural fragments dating from the Early Christian period to the 19th century. The ethnographic section includes a reconstructed home of a rural family from the Gargano at the beginning of the 20th century, including depictions of weaving and bread baking.

The Cathedral of Foggia was built in the 12th century in the Apulian Romanesque style. The cathedral preserves the Iconavetere, which is known there as the Madonna dei Sette Veli. Solemn ceremonies in her honor take place in Foggia every year. Religious history can also be traced at the Chiesa delle Croci: it comprises seven monuments that replaced seven original crosses, and beneath it is a small crypt called Terra Santa. The church is considered the only national monument in the city of Foggia and is also known as the Chiesa del Monte Calvario.

The Chiesa di San Tommaso was probably the first place of worship in the emerging city of Foggia and was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1731. The church preserves numerous paintings by the painter Nicola Montagano, who was born in Foggia. Another route into the city’s history leads through Via Arpi, which is a starting point for exploring Foggia’s underground spaces.

The remains of a Neolithic settlement that was active between the 5th and 4th millennia BC are preserved in the Parco archeologico di Passo Corvo. The park covers approximately 130 hectares and allows visitors to view reconstructed scenes of everyday Neolithic life, including a full-size hut and a ditch. For a cultural evening, Foggia also offers the Teatro Giordano: the reopening of the third-tier box area and the gallery was approved; the authorized total capacity was 497 seats.

Wetlands, Forest and Birdwatching

Lago Salso, formerly Daunia-Risi, is a wetland of approximately 540 hectares in the Provincia di Foggia, between the plain of Manfredonia and the Ofanto River. It is part of the Parco Nazionale del Gargano and is home to numerous waterbirds all year round. In winter, 10,000 to 20,000 ducks gather there, including several rare and endangered species. Those who want to include nature observation in their trip will find a setting here that is distinctly different from the urban center.

Foresta Umbra in the Provincia di Foggia is considered one of the most species-rich forests in Italy. It is characterized by the phenomenon of “faggete depresse”: due to special microclimatic conditions, beech trees grow there at unusually low elevations. Foresta Umbra has 15 signposted hiking trails with directional signs and trail markings. The marked network of trails covers approximately 54 km in total, offering various ways to experience the forest landscape over different distances.

The coastal trails of the Parco Nazionale del Gargano are also part of the region’s natural profile. They extend for a total of more than 5 km, provide access to observation huts, observation towers and hides, and are primarily used for birdwatching. In the heart of Foresta Umbra are tourist facilities, including a museum, the forest worker’s hut and equipped areas with fallow deer, wild boar and mouflon.

Olive Oil and Practical Orientation

Dauno DOP extra virgin olive oil is produced in the Provincia di Foggia from various olive varieties grown there. Its production permits only mechanical and physical processes that preserve the fruit’s quality characteristics unchanged. The geographical designations Alto Tavoliere, Basso Tavoliere, Gargano and Sub-Appennino belong to Dauno DOP olive oil and make the regional origin of this product visible.

The Museo Naturalistico della Foresta Umbra in the Provincia di Foggia consists of three indoor areas and one outdoor area. Visitors can purchase a hiking map of the Umbra and information material from the Parco Nazionale del Gargano there, as well as rent mountain bikes. For those interested in history, the Archivio di Stato di Foggia is located in the Palazzo Dogana. The documents preserved there may be consulted freely, subject to legal exceptions.

For arrival and local orientation, Foggia has a dedicated cycle route between the intermodal hub at the railway station and Gino Lisa Airport. The urban and archaeological park Campi Diomedei covers a total of 23 hectares; new areas of the park have been opened to the public. These different places provide your trip to Foggia with a framework in which the city, nature and regional culture can be experienced together.

Further places for your regional orientation: San Marco In Lamis, San Paolo Di Civitate, Poggio Imperiale, Lido Del Sole, Mattinata, Peschici, Rodi Garganico, San Menaio, Vieste, Pugnochiuso, Vico Del Gargano, Trinitapoli, San Giovanni Rotondo, Manfredonia, Lucera, Ischitella, Foggia, San Domino, Foce Varano, Lauro, Candela, Carpino, San Marco La Catola, Monte Sant'angelo, Giardinetto Vecchio, Celenza Valfortore, Sant'agata Di Puglia, Faeto, Motta Montecorvino, Tomaiolo, Roseto Valfortore, Zapponeta, San Nicola Di Tremiti, Alberona, Bovino, Lesina, Castelluccio Dei Sauri, Cagnano Varano, Rignano Garganico, Serracapriola, Chieuti, San Severo, Cerignola, Volturara Appula, Orta Nova, Borgo Celano, Troia, Rocchetta Sant'antonio, Stornara, Torre Mileto, Accadia, Deliceto, Segezia, Torremaggiore and San Nicandro Garganico.

For the overarching travel overview: Apulia.