Gargano in September 7 Panoramic road Cala Pergola - Vieste

Strada panoramica Cala Pergola - Vieste

This is a description of our trip along the panoramic road from Cala Pergola to Vieste on 20th September.

First of all, it's much better to drive along the road and stop off for viewpoints, access to beaches etc in this direction and not the opposite direction. Most stopping places are on the seaward side and accessing and coming out of them from the other side of road is more hazardous since there are a lot bends with poor visibility. Secondly, there was traffic even so late in the season, in particular after turning onto the main Mattinata-Vieste road at Cala dei Campi so in August I think it could be too busy to find stopping places at all. Lastly, while the coast between Vieste and Baia di Manaccora at least has a lot of access points to the coast and, indeed a path along the coast between Sfinalicchio Bay and Manaccora, this side is much less hospitable. 

The cliffs are high and dangerous in many places, private tourist villages have fenced off vast areas near the bays with barbed wire continuing a long way in both directions and sometimes totally precluding access to the beach, and most of the rest is fenced off as private property of a farm.

Considering all this, this is what we managed to do:

Cala Pergola

There is a deceptively initially well- kept tarmacked road down but which comes to an abrupt end with a guardrail in front of Cala Pergola, which is scarcely wider than double the road. Yes there's parking, but probably more than room for people on the beach. A tiny beach between the cliffs with no possibility of continuing on foot in either direction.

Pugnochiuso

Pugnochiuso is a so called exclusive development of houses, hotel and holiday village which has totally monopolised Pugnochiuso bay and the adjoining one of Porto Piatto. A double fence topped by barbed wire stretches for a long long way in each direction. The only access is through the official entrance which is guarded. Apparently access just to look is 6€ but we didn't bother verifying that! Forget it!

Porto Greco

Limited parking for less than a dozen cars on the main road where a handwritten sign indicating the path down starts. It takes 5/10 minutes up and down. Trainers are probably useful, flipflops would be uncomfortable. It's a small but beautiful or rather dramatic beach surrounded by high cliffs, especially on the right side facing the sea there had been rockfalls.

Torre dell'Aglio.

The next stopping place is at Torre dell'Aglio, fine views over the coast both sides. We parked here and did a stretch of the road on foot, this part has less traffic and we wanted a closer look at the vegetation too.

Baia dei Campi

Continuing on the road after the Baia there is some limited parking on both sides of the road, a small and obvious path leads down to the beach just after the fencing stops. The beach is quite narrow, mostly pebbly and with some low 'cliffs' behind on which the campsite is perched.

Torre and Arco de San Felice

Continuing on you will see a tower on the right with a lot of steps in the middle and ample (in September) space to pull over and park. From here there's a spectacular view of the San Felice arch, which you can't see from the San Felice Bay, even if you could access it, which you can't!

Also the"grotta sfondata" just before is totally fenced off but this time because it's dangerous.

Portonuovo Bay

A long and beautiful bay with small islands in front and some free beach, we parked easily in the shade on the roadside. It was a blustery day and the beach was deserted, very nice.

Scialara or Castello beach

Very long sandy beach stretching all the way to Vieste backed by a long succession of villages and campsites making it a low built and very green area. The beach is nearly 3 km long. Excellent firm sand for walking on the beach or a pleasant promenade behind. Plenty of areas of free beach and lots of Lidos. Sea shelves gently to mid chest height (where I went in, at Lido Castello) and then there's a sandbank where the water is hardly up to your knees, ideal for insecure swimmers like me! The beach has golden sand so what with wind and waves the water is never totally transparent but you can see down to the bottom. 4 out of 5 if Sardinia's best beaches are worth 5.

All in all it's worth driving the road for the spectacular views of the green vegetation, blue blue sea and white cliffs, but don't expect to get close to the sea very easily, or to find a path along the coast for walking. ...