Discover Mattinata: Coast, History and Nature

Mattinata combines impressive coastal landscapes with archaeological traces, religious buildings, nature observation and traditional cuisine. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Mattinata, you can choose your accommodation according to the desired mix of days at the beach, discoveries inland and cultural excursions.

Holiday apartment in Mattinata: coast, mountains and sea caves

Baia di Mattinatella is a sandy and pebble beach near the coastal road. High cliffs covered with pine trees frame the bay. Baia delle Zagare is known for two large rock towers standing a few metres from the shore; one has an almost perfect arch shape. You can reach the bay by sea or by land through the hotel of the same name, where an elevator built into the rock provides access. Grotta Campana is a large sea cave with a high vaulted ceiling, beneath which lies a small beach. Vignanotica is also one of the coastal destinations: from the Vieste–Mattinata road, the final section leads on foot through dense vegetation.

Monte Saraceno and Monte Sacro

Monte Sacro shapes the landscape with an almost continuous holm oak forest. The ridge rises from the surrounding plain at about 650 metres to the 872-metre-high summit. An archaeological walk to the abbey leads through these forests to the medieval ruins at an altitude of approximately 850 metres. The summit is home to the Abbey of the Holy Trinity, which originated from a hermitage of monks from the 11th century and became a Benedictine priory in 1138. Today, only ruins remain: the porch with arches and pillars, part of the apse and the Romanesque portal.

Monte Saraceno can be reached from Sellino Cavola; from there, a path approximately one kilometre long follows the rocky ridge. The archaeological area includes a necropolis with more than 500 graves that is over 2,500 years old. At the same time, Monte Saraceno is an important ornithological observation site for migratory birds on their way to and from the wetlands of the Gulf of Manfredonia. There are more than 60 orchid species in the Mattinata area. For comparison: 93 species have been recorded in Parco del Gargano and around 190 in Italy.

Archaeology and history in the town

The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Mattinata “Matteo Sansone” houses the archaeological collection donated by the Sansone family to the Italian state in 2022. The museum is designed as a chronological tour with six exhibition areas and a visible storage facility. The first area is dedicated to the Monte Saraceno archaeological site and includes stone shields used as grave markers.

In the historic centre, Palazzo Mantuano dates from 1840; its balcony overlooks the plain and the sea. Low, white buildings of the rural culture, known as “pagliai”, have also been preserved there. The first brick-built houses date from the mid-18th century. Near the harbour, the archaeological area of Agnuli includes part of a Roman villa rustica from the 1st century BC, with facilities for storing olive oil and wine and for processing agricultural products.

In Sperlonga lie the remains of the Pulsonian monastery of Santo Stefano; a footpath leads to the early Christian complex. The stone bas-reliefs in the parish church of Santa Maria della Luce were transferred there from the monastery of S. Stefano dell’Asperlonga in Mattinata. In the Valle Ripe Rosse valley lies Grotta delle Cento Colonne, with a canopy-like hypogeum, a large round room and an inner crypt.

Cuisine and local traditions

Mattinata’s local cuisine is based on olive oil, home-baked bread, pulses, vegetables, meat and fish. The FèXtra olive oil festival was held for the fifth time in 2025. At FèXtra, visitors at Frantoio Giorgio could follow every step of olive oil production, from harvesting and pressing through to the final tasting.

Getting there and orientation

From the north, the route leads via the Foggia motorway exit, the SS673 Dir/SS89 and approximately 50 kilometres on the SS89 Garganica to the Monte Saraceno tunnel. The local public transport service “City bus Mattinata” connects various areas of Mattinata with the town’s bathing beaches. These different access routes help you choose the location of your accommodation according to your planned excursions and the desired mix of coast, nature and history.

If you would like to discover more places, you can extend your travel plans with Roseto Valfortore, San Paolo Di Civitate, San Marco In Lamis, Trinitapoli, Rocchetta Sant'antonio, Troia, San Nicola Di Tremiti and Castelluccio Dei Sauri.

To the higher-level travel overview: Foggia.