Peschici is a divine village located on the Gargano peninsula's north coast high above the chalk cliffs. Below there are long sandy beaches and wonderful views towards the Tremiti Islands on the horizon.
The people of Peschici probably felt like they were born under a lucky star when their town won a major lottery win in 1998. The town's mayor had the idea to form a lottery syndicate with the residents and they came up trumps when they won a jackpot of €35 million! Consequently, life for the 4,000 residents of this simple fishing village changed for the better, and almost everyone was related to someone who had won. One resident of the town however, was very unhappy about this. Since he was not part of the syndicate and his brother was, his bride-to-be called off the engagement and married his brother instead!
Read more about Peschici
Peschici is a typical Apulian town with whitewashed houses beautifully located on a 90 metre high hillside facing the sea. It is a lively town with a beautiful historic centre with cobbled alleyways, turquoise painted doors, and then the complimentary view of the turquoise sea from in between the houses.
The centre of town is now officially an environmental zone (ZTL) and access by car is prohibited.
At the top of the cliff is the town's fortress, which dates back to the 1200's. The fortress was designed to protect the town from pirates and other invading threats from the sea - the area certainly had its work cut out keeping the Turks, Slavs and Saracens at bay.
Below the town you'll find the lively harbour and wide golden sandy beaches, which understandably attract tourists from far and wide during the summer months. The area is scenically very varied and also offers caves, Trabucchi (traditional fishing machines that hang nets from posts over the water) and free-standing rocks in the water.
Just 2 km from Peschici is the cultural and interesting monastery named Abbazia di Calena dating from 870. It is now privately owned and is set in beautiful green surroundings.
