Roberta Totaro/Sandbox
Monte Sant'Angelo edit
Monte Sant'Angelo is a municipality in the province of Foggia, in Apulia.
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Monte Sant’Angelo is a small city of about 12.000 inhabitants situated on the Gargano promontory, the northern area of Apulia, in the South of Italy. This stunning city is famous thanks to a unique church that was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011: the Sanctuary of St. Michael the Archangel. It is located on the top of a mountain, but the sea is not so far because Macchia (officially Marina di Monte), part of the municipality, overlooks the Adriatic Sea.
This breathtaking city is really ancient: it was established on September 29, 493. At the beginning, it was inhabited by a few peasant families who lived in little caves. Then the first houses were built and the heart of the city was created, the so-called Rione Junno, that is characterized by a lot of small semi-detached white houses.
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The main attraction is the Sanctuary of St. Michael the Archangel. It was built during the 13th century by Charles I of Anjou and it is still a very important church, because it was not consecrated by a bishop, but by the Archangel himself. In 2010 the twinning between Monte Sant’Angelo and Mont Saint-Michel (France) was formalized and in 2011 this sanctuary was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Another important attraction is the Norman Swabian Aragonese Castle. Its first evidence dates back to 837-838 A.C. It is located in the high part of the city and it is characterized by a big deep moat and a bridge supported by two arches, that was originally a drawbridge.
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In August, there is always a fantastic festival called “Raduno dei Suonatori di Tarantella” in which popular songs are played by several folk musicians and typical local products are served, especially bread and different kinds of cheese and wine.