Vieste

• Vieste is a small, steep, cobbled town, spilling down the hillside above the sea on the eastern coastline of the Gargano Peninsula. (The Gargano, sometimes described as the spur on the heel of the Italian boot, claims to have the cleanest sea water in Italy.) The town sits above the area’s best beach. It is a long, wide strip of sand that extends from Vieste’s white cliffs.
  
  It was a lengthy ride from Matera to the Gargano. The final stretch into Vieste involved a considerable amount of winding, mountain road. There were compensations, though, as in this stop to view an unusual rocky arch:
  

  

  The coastal headlands of this peninsula have many small inlets, punctuated with arches and sea caves eroded by the wind and the Adriatic.
  
  Finally out of the mountains, our coach drove north along Vieste’s finest beach (driving left to right in this photo taken later):
  

  

  A favorite of vacationers, this beach is lined with camping facilities, resorts and many tourist amenities. It is said that Vieste is packed in summer and ghostly quiet in winter. As we visited in mid-May, we missed both extremes.
  
  The main streets of town were still elaborately decorated for another festival we missed:
  

  

  
  Eventually settled into our hotel, we had a chance to look around on foot. The Cathedral was on our way so we had a look inside. We’ve never seen so much drapery in a church!
  

  

  Apparently decorated for the recent festival, the church was being restored to normal by two workers when we arrived. They are seen “lowering the curtains” near the altar.
  
  A short distance behind the Cathedral, we reached a small square on the cliff top. With our backs to the water, I couldn’t help photographing the massive reinforcements on this venerable building:
  

  

  No doubt, they were needed.
  
  Across the square was a view of the beach we had driven along when entering Vieste:
  

  

  Just to the right, where the beach meets the cliffs of town, there is a fascinating monolith, smack dab at the water’s edge:
  

  

  This is the towering “Pizzomunno” and, later, I had an opportunity to see it close-up:
  

  

  It stands 82 feet high and there is none other like it in sight. No wonder it is Vieste’s most famous point.
  
  To the east of the reinforced building, a promontory extends like a finger pointing toward Dubrovnik, Croatia:
  

  

  At its tip is the Chiesa di San Francesco, a former monastery.
  
  Another fine beach lies on the north side of Vieste:
  

  

  In this photo, Vieste can be seen behind the harbor breakwater and Chiesa di San Francesco is just to the left of the catamaran’s mast.
  
  A favorite excursion for tourists is a boat cruise along the coast. The two-hour trip grotto-hops through several marine caves. Unfortunately, that was not possible during our stay because of windy conditions.
  
  On our last morning in town, we walked along the marina and the outer edges of the harbor for a photo-shoot. Yes, there were tourists everywhere .... these two, for instance!
  

  

  During that stroll, we encountered a structure, seemingly, right out of Star Wars:
  

  

  Of course, it wasn’t. This spindly creation perched above the water is a fishing platform, even equipped with a warming shed for cold winter mornings.
  
  Pausing for a final pose, it was time for Patty (and me) to say goodbye to Vieste:
  

  

  Tourism IS changing the town, which once depended entirely on fishing and agriculture. However, we left with the impression that most locals are happy having tourists about --- especially when they are attractive and well-behaved and prompt in paying their bills.