What to see in the Tremiti Islands [2023]

The Tremiti Islands are an archipelago of five islands facing the Gargano, in the north of Puglia. They are immersed in the Adriatic Sea and boast a crystalline sea, perfect for diving and snorkelling. In this article we tell you what to see in the Tremiti Islands, reviewing each of them:

• the island of San Domino (the best known)
• the island of San Nicola (seat of administration)
• the island of Capraia (famous for the submerged statue of Padre Pio)
• Cretaccio (on balance a big rock) and Pianosa (uncontaminated).

The Tremiti Islands are the favorite destination for nature and snorkelling lovers, its seabed will leave you enchanted! Enjoy the reading.

How to get to the Tremiti Islands

Before telling you in detail what to see on the Tremiti Islands, a brief excursus on how to get there! The most used means are the ferry and the hydrofoil, which leave from the ports of Vasto, Termoli, Rodi Garganico and Vieste and take you to San Domino and San Nicola. Here you will find the individual routes with timetables and prices. Alternatively you can take the helicopter from Foggia or Vieste, here you will find all the info. Once disembarked, the promoters will offer you the available boat tours, there are different types, from the cheapest to the most expensive. Some take you on a tour of the island of San Domino, others a tour of all the islands. We recommend the second option.

What to see in the Tremiti Islands: San Domino

The island of San Domino is the most famous and the most touristic because it boasts the most beautiful beaches of the Tremiti Islands. Here you can visit the beaches and caves on foot. Including:

• Cala Zio Cesare
• Grotta delle Viole
• Cala Matano
• Cala Tramontana
• Cala del Bue Marino
• Grotta del Bue Marino
• Pagliai
• Cala degli Inglesi
• the Elephant rock.

Among the caves of the island of San Domino we find the Grotta delle Viole, and the Grotta del Bue Marino, both reachable by swimming or by boat. If you suffer from seasickness and prefer to avoid the boat tour, you can walk around the island of San Domino. If you also want to travel to the other islands in low cost mode, to see the island of San Nicola there are shuttle dinghies that pass from the island of San Domino to the island of San Nicola and vice versa, you can find them every half hour.

What to do on the island of San Nicola

Among the things to do on the Island of San Nicola, the first that we recommend is a visit to the Castello dei Badiali:

Located between the walls that delimit the Island of San Nicola, it was built during the Angevin age at the behest of Charles I of Anjou and the communities of Cistercian Monks to defend the island and the Church of Santa Maria a Mare from raids by Saracen pirates. The Castello dei Badiali is characterized by a fortress made of a crenellated wall, once bounded by a moat. Once you have visited the castle, it is worth stopping to watch the sunset and the panorama that the hill on which the castle stands favors.

The Sanctuary of Santa Maria a Mare

The second stop on the island of San Nicola that we recommend is the Sanctuary of Santa Maria a Mare. It was founded in 1045 by the Benedictine monks and constituted a place of refuge for war activities: in 1567 with the Turkish invasions and later for the English fleets during the Napoleonic period. Inside it is possible to admire perfectly intact architecture and little worn by time, the Byzantine-style wooden statue of Mary with the child and a mosaic floor. The external part is instead characterized by the presence of a well decorated with the symbols of the Tremiti Islands: the Diomedee framed by two myrtle twigs.

Marinella beach

For trekking lovers, after the castle, there is an impervious path that will allow you to reach the Marinella beach. Continue to the cemetery and you will arrive at the beach, but be careful it will take at least an hour, do the calculations well if you have to take the ferry to go home. This beach is one of the best known and most popular on the island of San Nicola, with a narrow and elongated shape, made up of an enormous white cliff.

The Cretaceous

Cretaccio is a large uninhabited rock, it is the smallest island located between the islands of San Nicola and San Domino. Here you can snorkel, but not much more. Legend has it that a ghost appears on this islet on stormy nights. The ghost was a prisoner executed right on this island, he appears with the decapitated head in his hand.

What to see in the Tremiti Islands: Capraia

The first thing we recommend you see on the island of Capraia is the submerged statue of Padre Pio: a unique experience! About 3 meters high, it is the largest submerged statue in the world! It is located about ten meters deep on the south-eastern coast of Capraia, if you love diving you can swim close to it, otherwise it is possible to spot it even while remaining on the surface. The statue was placed on the seabed on October 3, 1998 and was created by the Foggia sculptor Mimmo Norcia, it is a real rarity that invites many tourists to visit it.

Beaches and caves of the island of Capraia

Among the beaches to see on the island of Capraia, we find the Cala dei Turchi, a beautiful beach with crystal clear water, the best known of the whole island where the waters are always calm. Cala Sorrentino and the cave of love, wonderful, the sea has incredible colors, no photo can do it justice. They can only be reached by sea.

The island of Pianosa and the ban on landing

The island of Pianosa which is part of the Marine Reserve of the Tremiti Islands and is completely uninhabited, an uncontaminated island where nature reigns supreme. From the name “Pianosa” we can guess its flat nature, to such an extent that during the storms the island is submerged by the sea in its almost total entirety. On the island there is a ban on landing and navigation, an absolute ban on fishing and diving.