An orchid holiday begins in Mattinata

Gargano is a limestone peninsula rising above the Adriatic, with olive groves, rocky pastures and deep woodland. These varied habitats support a remarkable range of orchids, especially during the spring flowering season.

Mattinata, beneath Monte Sacro, made an ideal base for Elaine’s four-night stay. She enjoyed the town’s easy sociability, with conversations on the street and familiar greetings wherever she went.

Beyond the village, a short journey into the countryside revealed another world: orchids tucked among grasses and stones, some so small they were easily missed.

The day with Angela Rossini and Giovanni Quitadamo

ExpertoItaly brought Elaine together with Angela Rossini and Giovanni Quitadamo, authors of Orchidee Spontanee nel Parco Nazionale del Gargano. Both have devoted years to observing and photographing the peninsula’s wild orchids, and Elaine was familiar with their work before travelling.

An outing with both authors was a rare opportunity for Elaine. Instead of searching for plants on her own, she could explore the places they knew best and learn directly from their observations.

They stopped at patches of grass and stony ground that a visitor might easily pass. Flower shape, markings, height and habitat all offered clues. With Angela and Giovanni, every discovery came with an explanation.

Their books and botanical work are described on the Orchidee del Gargano website. The species in flower vary with season, altitude and weather.

Learning to look closely

Elaine photographed the flowers close enough to reveal their extraordinary variety: dark patterned lips, reddish veined petals and pale clusters with delicate, elongated forms.

The Ophrys group is particularly intriguing. Some flowers mimic female insects in shape, colour and scent, attracting pollinators. Closely related species can be difficult to tell apart, one reason Angela and Giovanni’s field knowledge was so valuable.

Later, Elaine explored another orchid habitat with Riccardo Di Novella in Sassano’s Valle delle Orchidee, adding an inland Cilento landscape to her studies of the Gargano.

From the orchid fields to Vieste’s harbour

After Mattinata, the family spent two nights in Vieste. Its pale houses climb the limestone headland above the harbour, with narrow lanes and small squares leading down towards the Adriatic.

The days here were more relaxed. Elaine photographed a waterfront café, fishing boats and the evening light over the harbour. From their room at Tra il Cielo e il Mare, the family could watch the lighthouse across the water.

Boat trips from Vieste reveal cliffs, caves and isolated stretches of coast when sea conditions allow. These are longer excursions rather than places to reach on foot from the old town.

Foresta Umbra, its wildlife and the road to Matera

In Foresta Umbra, beech trees shade the paths and a small lake lies within the forest. Elaine’s woodland photographs give a sense of Gargano’s cooler, greener interior, far removed from the open hills around Mattinata.

A managed area near the visitor centre is home to fallow deer, while the native Gargano roe deer is much harder to spot. The Gargano National Park provides information about the forest’s walking routes and wildlife.

From Vieste, a private transfer took the family inland to Matera, then on to Morano Calabro and Pollino National Park. Read the next chapter, or see how the full holiday was arranged.