Monte Sant' Angelo

The wind blows hard here, so rocks help hold down the roof tiles. They are blending in with the tile colours here.

The road down to the valley floor is a hairpin bend lovers delight. Unfortunately it is not loved by my stomach!

San Michele

There are many sites to visit in Mont Sant' Angelo and after the castle we went to the church in the grotto, San Michele. We were not there for the festival but visited before the 8th May.

This is the entry and then down, down, down the marble stairs to the large grotto church.

No photos of the church allowed and a blessing was in progress. The double consecration of 2 previous Popes made this place extra special as Pope John Paul II had visited here.  

Outside again and we often see wall shrines, also set into the corners of buildings.
Thanks for all the comments that have been made about various posts- nice to know you are still with me.

A snack

Not knowing what this was, we had to buy and try some.

Neatly packaged and easy to open!

They look a bit boring but gee the flavour is great of the ostie. This is a thin wafer, sandwiched with honey coasted almonds.

Gone very quickly!

This is the size of the bread cooked in a wood oven!

 

Castle

This imposing castle at Monte Sant' Angelo sits at the top of the hill [800+m]  and looking at the moat we were left wondering how they kept it full of water? Many rulers have inhabited the castle through the ages and it was in ruin before renovation of some sections.

The views are great.

Nature always finds a way and many buildings here sport grass or trees on the roofs.

A modern interpretation of medieval costume in one of the large rooms. All the fabric had been hand woven and the belts hand plaited from wool. It was windy, wet and cold the afternoon we visited.

This is a popular tourist destination being on the Pilgrim Route and the car park proves it. Camper vans seem to flock together and we pass 3 or 4 or more at once.
 

Forest

A large part of the Gargano Peninsular is dominated by a national forest park which we would have loved to explore more by hiking, but it was too wet the day we drove through it.

The many shades of green in the new and older foliage were incredible for our Australian eyes used to different hues in our own environment.

Where flocks are grazed in the meadows the profusion of different varieties of flowers in a small area was astonishing. My ipad has been playing up and refusing to take photos are times, so I only captured a few. Small ground orchids with purple flowers were just appearing.

A stone wall nearby sported a covering of thick, soft, spongy lichen and where it had died back another small succulent type of plant had a foot hold.