The color of the coastal woods of the Gargano contends for primacy with that of the sea, but the shady paths, fortunately, are not the subject of the same interest that vacationers reserve for the beaches, so the woods are often a valid alternative to the noisy crowds of the coasts.
Through the railway it is possible to reach them in maximum comfort, without having to face the summer traffic and the pitfalls of such a panoramic but at the same time so tortuous road belt.
The railway that runs along the north side of the Gargano, joining S.Severo with the State Railways line, ends its run in the bay of Calenelle. The Monte Pucci, a hill covered with pine trees and Mediterranean scrub that falls into the sea, divides it from the city of Peschici. At the top of the limestone cliff made dazzling by the Gargano sun, a defense tower scans the sea like an undecided diver, here the Adriatic fades to turquoise offering a perfect backdrop to the pines that detach from the vertical wall.
The coastal pine forests cover the promontory for about 7000 hectares, from Mattinata to Peschici, without interruption. From the Peschici-Calenelle station, the terminus of the "Ferrovie del Gargano", an itinerary starts that crosses the pine and oak forests (downy oak and holm oak) in the area between Vico del Gargano and Peschici.
You walk on the crest of Mount Pucci and then Mount Stregone along an easy dirt path used by shepherds and the forest ranger. The route is almost always shaded except in the part of Mount Pucci that faces Peschici. The scrub has colonized these areas with intricate bushes of mastic, myrtle, phillyrea and strawberry tree, growing with great vigor so as to be, in some places, impenetrable. The climbs alternate with the descents, you cross rudimentary gates made with branches and barbed wire. In the upper part, the pine forest gives way to a mixed oak forest of holm oaks and downy oaks that often reach large dimensions as in the case of the two specimens that meet near the Seppeseppe house, an unsettling pink building with unusual acute shapes.
Finally, we cross the Santiago Valley which takes us to the state road 528 in the locality of “il parchetto”, here there is a large farm where you can stop to rest before returning to the Peschici station along the same path.
After crossing the open space in front of the station, take the paved road for a short distance towards Peschici then, on the right side of the road, take a gate that leads directly into the pine forest. Turning immediately to the left, we see a rural building overlooking a clearing. Reached the building, after having passed the slope that leads to it, continue in the dense pine forest to the top of Mount Pucci. Going down on the other side, the one facing Peschici, you come across a path that returns to the ridge of the mountain and runs through thick mastic bushes.
The path finally enters the pine forest. Arriving at a sharp fork (the only one on the itinerary), turn left and then immediately right in line with the direction of travel.
Further on, the path joins a concrete road that leads, in the locality of Croci, to a small group of houses and villas, but after this stretch it returns to immerse itself in the forest.
Two gates meet, after the second, totally isolated, the Seppeseppe house appears, a strange building with bright colors. Continue and the pine forest gives way to small coppice woods of holm oak and downy oak. As you get closer to the road, farmhouses appear mostly for the shelter of livestock, finally crossing the Santiago valley you reach the S.S. 528 (km 14.5) and beyond the road the large farm “Il Parchetto”.
