Fruit Village Emmanuele

Locality
Manfredonia is a nice village populated by tourists. Its centre is full of shops where it is possible to buy souvenir and typical products of the local craftsmanship like baskets, ceramics and wooden sculptures.

Places to know and visit
Castello Svevo and Museo Archeologico Nazionale. The Castle was wanted by Manfredi in the 1200 and underwent many extension works and renovations throughout the centuries. It now hosts the National Archeological Museum, where many elements that represent the history of the lagoon are collected.

The Cathedral of Manfredonia, built with a gothic style, is dedicated to San Lorenzo Maiorano, whose relics are preserved in the cathedral. Its travertine-marble facade was built in the 1960s.

The Basilica di San Leonardo, 10 km far from Manfredonia, is an artistically and historically important church. At the time, it was part of a complex of abbies and has three naves with three apses.

The Church of San Domenico, with annexed convent, rises in Piazza del Popolo and was built at the end of the 1200, wanted by Carlo II d'Angiò. In the old chapel, four frescos of the 1300 are still visible.

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, with an apulian romanic style, was built where there once was a pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Diana. In the basement, it is possible to visit the crypt. The church is located on the state highway 89 that goes to Foggia, 3 km far from Manfredonia.

The Convent of Santa Maria della Vittoria was built for the first time in the 1571, destroyed by the turkish invaders in the 1620 and rebuilt 50 years later. In the 1800 the convent was permanently closed and annexed to the present church with cemetery. Only a few spaces of the ancient structure are left: the most interesting one is the courtyard.

Grotta Scaloria, a cave where many tombs and ceramics where found: this led to the conclusion that it once was a necropolis, but also a place where religious rituals dedicated to the divinity of water were celebrated.

Lago Salso, part of the National Park of the Gargano, is an important naturalistic area as its muddy waters and canebrakes create the perfect environment for many water birds and fishes that populate the pond. The oasis of Lago Salso can be visited with electric boats or the tourists can observe the birds from the turrets situated along a 5-km long path.