Villas in Gargano

Vieste suits sandy beaches and boat trips, Peschici suits a clifftop village, and Rodi Garganico suits families on long beaches. The Gargano is the spur on Italy's boot, a limestone headland of beech forest, sea cliffs and sandy bays in northern Puglia. It is a long drive from any airport, so most people come for a week or more.

Where

Villas: 57
From, per week: £373
Cheapest month: November
Nearest airports: Bari is the usual choice, around an hour and three quarters to Mattinata and two and a half hours to Vieste or Peschici. Pescara, in Abruzzo, can be closer for Rodi Garganico. Flights from London to Bari take around two and three quarter hours.

Where to stay in Gargano

Vieste (eastern tip)

Vieste has the largest group of our Gargano villas. The old town stands on a rocky point above the sea, and Castello beach below it is marked by Pizzomunno, a tall white limestone stack. Long sandy beaches run north and south, and boats leave the harbour to tour the sea caves and the arch at Architiello. In summer there are boats to the Tremiti islands. Bari airport is around two and a half hours away.

Best for: Families and groups who want sandy beaches, boat trips and plenty of restaurants

Not for you if: You want a quiet town in August, when Vieste is the busiest resort on the Gargano.

Peschici (north coast)

Peschici is a white village on a cliff above a sandy bay, with nearly as many of our villas as Vieste. The coast road towards Vieste passes trabucchi, old wooden fishing platforms on stilts, and bays such as San Nicola and Manaccora with pine woods behind the sand. Summer ferries leave for the Tremiti islands. The Foresta Umbra, a large beech forest with walking trails, is around half an hour inland. Bari airport is about two and a half hours away.

Best for: Couples who want a whitewashed village and coves within a short drive

Not for you if: You struggle with steps, as the old village is built on a cliff and the lanes are steep.

Rodi Garganico and San Menaio (north-west coast)

Rodi Garganico sits on a small headland surrounded by citrus groves, with long sandy beaches either side. Its harbour has the shortest crossing on this coast to the Tremiti islands, at around an hour in summer. San Menaio, a few minutes east, is a small resort backed by pine woods. Choice is limited, as we have only a few houses in each. Bari airport is around two and a half hours away, Pescara about two.

Best for: Families who want long sandy beaches and the quickest Tremiti crossing

Not for you if: You want rocky coves and cliffs, which are further east towards Peschici and Vieste.

Mattinata (south coast)

Mattinata is a quiet town in olive groves above a wide pebble bay, on the sheltered southern side of the promontory. The coast road north towards Vieste passes Baia delle Zagare, with two white sea stacks offshore, best seen by boat. Monte Sant'Angelo, whose cave sanctuary is a UNESCO site, is about 20 minutes up the hill. We have only a few houses here. Bari airport is around an hour and three quarters away.

Best for: Visitors who want the shortest drive from Bari and sea stacks nearby

Not for you if: You want sand on your doorstep: Mattinata's own beach is pebbles.

When to go to Gargano

June and September are the best months: warm sea, room on the beaches and lower prices. July is hot, and August is very busy, with Italian families filling Vieste and Peschici around Ferragosto on 15 August and traffic slow on the coast road. The summer boats to the Tremiti islands run from June to early September. May and October suit walking in the Foresta Umbra, but many lidos, campsites and restaurants on the coast close from October to May.