King Manfred, son of Frederick II, founded it in 1256 to give the people of ancient Siponto a new port: the Swabian-Angevin castle on the sea and the city's very name keep his signature. At Siponto, the Romanesque basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore stands beside Edoardo Tresoldi's celebrated installation: the early-Christian church "rebuilt" in transparent wire mesh.
Manfredonia is the Gargano's southern gateway and the capital of its gulf: from here you climb to Monte Sant'Angelo, UNESCO-listed with Saint Michael's grotto, or sail for the Tremiti islands. The Sipontine carnival is among Puglia's liveliest.
Near Manfredonia
The closest destinations covered by our editors, with straight-line distance.
