St. Michael cave

There is a town, in Apulia, chosen by an Archangel, as His earthly abode. His name is Michael and His Shrine, UNESCO World Heritage Site, since more than 500 years, is a destination of pilgrimage from all over the world.

There is a Grotto, dedicated to Him, that has generated a town where Byzantines, Lombards, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, and Aragons left important traces of their passage making it a “casket” of history and remarkable culture.

There is a town, in Gargano National Park, where the ancient trees of an enchanted forest draw unexpected paths.

It is a real naturalistic shrine protected by UNESCO.

There is a town where the mountain hugs the sea, where 24 rock-cut hermitages “tell the silence”, where footpaths were created along the road leading to the Holy Land, where the gastronomic tradition intertwines with folklore, where the typical white houses come together with the blue sky painting magic harmonies.

There is a town where the Beauty lives. There is an amazing town, a place of culture, soul and good food, with unique exciting naturalistic experiences.

There is a town, ours, where we welcome you.

Monte Sant’Angelo is the town with two World Heritage Sites recognized by UNESCO.

In the two-sites UNESCO town beauty can be found along the white streets of the historic center and it withstands time in front of the majestic Norman-Swabian-Aragonese Castle. It remains in your heart in the presence of the monumental façade and the cave of the most important sanctuary in the West dedicated to the Archangel Michael which is an uninterrupted pilgrimage destination for 1500 years.

The beauty of this town accompanies and leads you in the mysterious Baptistery of San Giovanni in Tumba (called “Tomb of Rotari”) and towards the wonder of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore and its frescoes, listening to the silence at the Abbey of Santa Maria di Pulsano and its Hermitages, the magical Umbra Forest or along the coast of the marina.

Mountains, forest, woods, sea, excellent gastronomy and a priceless historical cultural heritage: Monte Sant’Angelo is one of “Borghi più belli d’Italia”.

The history of the two Unesco recognitions

On 25 June 2011, the 35th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Paris decided to register the serial site “The Lombards in Italy. Places of power (568-774 AD)” adding it to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The ancient beech woods of the Umbra Forest, located in the territory of Monte Sant’Angelo, were registered in the UNESCO World Heritage Site within the European serial site “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe” during the 41st session of the Committee, held in Krakow on 7 July 2017.

Monte Sant’Angelo is home to two World Heritage Sites protected by UNESCO (United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture).

Other important awards

Moreover, in recent years, other important awards have been achieved: in 2014, National Geographic included the Sacred Cave of the Archangel Michael among the 10 most beautiful Sacred Caves in the world: the Cave of Monte Sant’Angelo is the only Italian cave in the ranking of the authoritative American magazine.

In 2017, Skyscanner (which is one of the major travel search engines) included Monte Sant’Angelo among the twenty most beautiful cities in Italy; during the same year, the Puglia Region included Monte Sant’Angelo in the regional list of “Municipalities with a predominantly tourist economy and cities of art”.

In February 2018, the Green Michelin Guide assigned 3 stars (the highest recognition) to the historic center.

Since 2020, Monte Sant’Angelo has been certified among the “most beautiful villages in Italy” by the national association of the same name / which bears the same name.