Mattinata: White Town & Gargano Beaches
A small whitewashed hill town on the southern Gargano, its butterfly-shaped old town cascading through vast olive groves above the Adriatic, with cliff-backed, hard-to-reach bays like Baia delle Zagare and Vignanotica strung along the coast.
Mattinata in brief
Mattinata sits on the southern coast of the Gargano, in the province of Foggia, inside the Gargano National Park. It is nicknamed the "white butterfly" for the shape of its old town, and about 5,800 people live here (ISTAT estimate, January 2026). Bari airport (BRI) is about 140 km away, roughly 2 hours by car; Vieste is about 40 km and Monte Sant’Angelo about 19 km, roughly 25 minutes.
Best things to do in Mattinata
Mattinata is the quiet side of the Gargano: a lived-in white town in its olive groves, hills full of archaeology and a coast of cliffs and stacks a short drive away. The town and its hills take one day, the bays another.
1. Walk the white old town
The centre is small and very much lived in: whitewashed houses with balconies and outside stairs, short lanes and little squares, with olive groves and sea at the end of the streets. The lanes are busiest in the late afternoon.
2. See Santa Maria della Luce
The main church, dedicated to the patron Madonna della Luce, is at its best lit up after dark, and in September its icon leads the town’s biggest procession (number 11).
3. Visit the archaeological museum
In the old civic museum on Via Torquato Tasso, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Mattinata “Matteo Sansone” shows about 2,500 objects, from Daunian stelae to finds from Monte Saraceno and the Roman villa at Agnuli. Tickets cost €6 (September 2026); opening hours change with the season, so check before you go.
4. Buy oil from the groves around town
From the hills, Mattinata is a white patch in a sea of olive trees, and a member of Italy’s Città dell’Olio since 2000. Buy oil from a mill or a farm, not a gift shop, and ask for the latest harvest. How it is classified is under food.
5. Climb Monte Saraceno to the Daunian tombs
Monte Saraceno is a 260-metre hill on the sea south of town, topped by around 500 tombs cut into the rock by the Daunians, the people of northern Puglia before the Romans. Sources date them differently, but all to more than 2,500 years ago. The Park’s path, about 4 km, starts from the coast road at Punta Grugno.
6. Walk up to the abbey on Monte Sacro
At about 850 metres stand the ruins of the Benedictine abbey of the Santissima Trinità. The Ministry of Culture dates its first mention to 1138; local tradition says 1058. The monks left in 1431. The arches, capitals and carved doorway in a holm-oak wood are reached on foot.
7. See the Roman villa at Agnuli, by the harbour
By the harbour lie the remains of the Roman villa of Agnuli, a farming estate with net-patterned walls and two dozen storage jars still sunk in the ground, dated by local studies from the 1st century BC to the 6th century AD. It is fenced, but visible from outside.
8. Look for wild orchids in spring
The Gargano National Park counts around 90 species of wild orchid, and calls the orchids of the Monte Sacro wood exceptional. Spring is the time: both flowers below were photographed near Mattinata in mid-April. Leave them where they grow.
9. See the coast from the water
Boats to the sea caves sail from Mattinata harbour, Manfredonia and Vieste; the trips we list below leave from Vieste. From Mattinatella, a guided kayak trip reaches the Zagare stacks and coves you cannot reach on foot.
10. Walk from the Mergoli to Vignanotica
The Park’s coastal path from the Baia dei Mergoli to Vignanotica beach, about 2 km through the pines, was laid out by the State Forestry Corps; many call it the Path of Love. More routes in our guide to walking in Puglia.
11. Come for the feast in mid-September
The patron’s feast, the Madonna della Luce, peaks on 15 September, the solemn day, and on the 16th, when the icon is carried through the streets and fireworks close the night (2026 programme).
The beaches
Some of the most beautiful bays on the Gargano are a few kilometres away, but the best are cliff-backed and access is limited. The easy one is the long beach below the town; for the others, arrive by boat, on foot or with a pass.
Baia delle Zagare
Also called Baia dei Mergoli, the bay of the two stacks, the Arco di Diomede and Le Forbici. Most of the shore belongs to the hotels. The only free stretch, the south beach, is reached through the Hotel Baia dei Faraglioni with one of 20 daily passes from the Info Point at Corso Matino 64, in person (2026 rules), or by boat.
Vignanotica
About 500 m of pebbles under a high white cliff, half in Mattinata and half in Vieste, as the Park puts it. Reach it on foot from the SP53, along the path from the Mergoli (number 10) or by boat.
Mattinatella
A pebble bay about 10 km from town by road, with beach clubs and clear water, where the kayak trips to the Zagare stacks start.
Piana di Mattinata
The long gravel and pebble beach below the town, about 2 km from the centre, is the closest and the easiest, with beach clubs and campsites behind it.
Where to stay in Mattinata
Mattinata works best as a quiet, green base. In and near the town you will find small hotels and B&Bs, handy for the lanes, restaurants and the road to the coast. For more character, look to the farm stays, masserie and agriturismi among the olive groves, many with sea views and calm, and a short drive to the bays. There are also a few beachfront options on the coast for those who want to wake up by the water. Book early for summer, when the Gargano fills up.
Compare live prices for hotels in Mattinata on the map.
Our top experiences from Mattinata
Only two bookable experiences start in Mattinata: a guided kayak trip from Mattinatella to the Zagare stacks and an e-bike ride along the coast road to Vieste. The classic sea-caves boat trip leaves from Vieste, about 50 minutes up the coast. The experiences hub links more of the Gargano.
See live tours and activities around Mattinata
Live availability and prices via GetYourGuide, updated in real time.
Food in Mattinata
Mattinata’s kitchen starts with its oil. The local extra-virgin olive oil, sold under the Dauno DOP with the Gargano mention (at least 70% Ogliarola Garganica), is the base of everything, drizzled over bread, greens and fish. Expect Gargano cooking of good bread, fresh handmade pasta, plenty of vegetables, fish and shellfish and goat.
Getting to Mattinata
| From | Distance | By car |
|---|---|---|
| Bari | ~151 km | ~2 hr |
| Bari airport (BRI) | ~140 km | ~2 hr |
| Vieste | ~40 km | ~50 min |
| Manfredonia | ~17 km | ~20 min |
| Monte Sant’Angelo | ~19 km | ~25 min |
| San Giovanni Rotondo | ~38 km | ~40 min |
Fly into Bari (BRI), then drive, roughly 2 hours. Public transport on the Gargano is limited: you need a car for the town and the coast, and a boat or your feet for the cliff bays.
Arriving by air? A fixed-price private airport transfer from Bari skips the long drive and the hire-car ZTL worry, and an Italy eSIM gives you data for maps the moment you land. · Best towns in Puglia
Day trips from Mattinata
Mattinata sits at the quiet heart of the southern Gargano, so the peninsula’s headline sights, the pilgrim town of Monte Sant’Angelo, cliff-top Vieste, the beech forest and the island archipelago, are all within reach.
Monte Sant’Angelo
UNESCO sanctuary, ~19 km
guide
Vieste
Pizzomunno, ~40 km
Vieste guide
Vignanotica & Baia delle Zagare
Cliff bays, coast road
Foresta Umbra
UNESCO beech forest, ~52 km by road
Tremiti Islands
Island archipelago · guide
See all things to do
Best time to visit
Summer is best for the beaches, when the sea is warm and the bays are in full swing, but it is also the busiest. For the town, the olive country and the walking, May and June or September are quieter and very pleasant, and mid-September brings the feast of the patron. Best time to visit Puglia
How to get there
Fly Bari, then drive. Getting to Puglia · Renting a car in Puglia
Mattinata: FAQ
Where is Mattinata?
On the southern coast of the Gargano, in the province of Foggia, among olive groves inside the Gargano National Park, about 140 km (2 hours by car) from Bari airport.
Do I need a car?
Effectively yes: public transport on the Gargano is limited and the bays are best reached by car or by boat.
How do I reach Baia delle Zagare?
Most of the shore belongs to the hotels. The only free stretch, the south beach, is reached through the Hotel Baia dei Faraglioni with a day pass from the Info Point at Corso Matino 64: 20 a day, collected in person. Or arrive by boat or kayak. Rules can change, so check first.
Was Wonder Woman filmed here?
Yes. Italy for Movies, the Italian film-location portal, lists the Baia dei Mergoli, the other name of the Baia delle Zagare, among the locations of Wonder Woman (2017).
Is the Monte Sant’Angelo sanctuary in Mattinata?
No. The UNESCO Sanctuary of San Michele is in the separate town of Monte Sant’Angelo, about 19 km away, a common day trip from Mattinata.
Is Mattinata worth visiting?
Yes, as a quiet base: a lived-in white town, olive groves, Daunian tombs and a ruined abbey in the hills, and fine bays a short drive away. For a busy resort seafront, look at Vieste.
What is the nearest beach to Mattinata?
The Piana di Mattinata, the long gravel and pebble beach below the town, about 2 km from the centre. The cliff bays, Mattinatella, Baia delle Zagare and Vignanotica, lie further north along the coast road.
When is Mattinata’s patron saint festival?
In mid-September. The feast of the Madonna della Luce peaks on 15 September, the solemn day, and on the 16th, with the procession and fireworks (2026 programme).
Related: Vieste guide · Peschici guide · Monte Sant’Angelo guide · Best beaches in Puglia · All destinations
I grew up in the province of Brindisi and spent 30 years in Puglia. The Gargano is a world of its own, and I keep going back to it. Everything above is checked on the ground; when a place slips, it gets updated. More about who is behind this guide