The Via Micaelica: from Benevento to Monte Sant'Angelo

From Benevento to Buonalbergo

24 km, +778, -370

After a hearty breakfast strolling through the traditions of Campania, you will say goodbye to Benevento to reach the legendary Buonalbergo. In this first stage of the Via Micaelica, in fact, you will enter the southern Apennines, the natural border line between Campania and Puglia. Leaving Benevento behind you, you will pass the ancient town of Paduli, a charming village, now abandoned, but which still preserves particular monuments, very interesting to visit, such as the lovely Mother Church of San Bartolomeo, characterized by the ancient entrance at the base of the bell tower. Today's journey ends in Buonalbergo accompanied by the rolling hills, where the strong sense of hospitality of its inhabitants has remained unchanged over time.
We recommend visiting the Ponte delle Chianche, built by Emperor Trajan, and the seventeenth-century Church of San Carlo Borromeo, in the meantime you could enjoy the tasty Picciulatiello or sweet bread, considered by some to be the oldest dessert in Buonalbergo which tradition dictates to be handmade and left to rest.

From Celle di San Vito to Troia

18km, +301, -590

Today's stage will allow you to explore in small steps the wonderful Tavoliere delle Puglie, once a renowned wheat production area, today the setting for the unusual and characteristic town of Troia, which in the 12th century hosted four Councils and where the oldest document on the Via Francigena is kept. The elegant historic center is dominated by the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, an exceptional example of the fusion of styles and civilizations that have come and gone in this incredible region. While inside the Cathedral Treasure Museum, in the central Piazza Episcopo, it is possible to admire three very precious medieval scrolls of the famous liturgical songs recited on Easter night and decorated with precious miniatures.
At the end of the day, treat yourself to a well-deserved rest, perhaps sipping the legendary Nero di Troia, a red wine with a strong and lively flavor. For the more demanding, however, the typical "Passionata" will remove all doubts: it is in fact a delicious ricotta-based dessert covered with exquisite almond paste, absolutely not to be confused with Sicilian cassata, try it!

From Lucera to San Severo

26 km, +89, -220

After a pleasant awakening surrounded by the fresh Apulian countryside, in the heart of the ancient Capitanata, one of the most important districts of southern Italy, you will resume your journey towards the Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo. Leaving the town center perched on a hill from which the imposing Swabian-Angevin castle stands, follow a path that through the woods will take you into the boundless expanse of Tavoliere in the direction of San Severo, which has been a destination for pilgrimages along the Via Micaelica for centuries.
Once you arrive in its characteristic historic center you will be able to admire the beauty of this ancient medieval village which boasts the title of city of art and which prides itself on having been the first to obtain the DOC recognition in Puglia for its wines as demonstrated by the different underground cellars scattered throughout the territory.
Unmissable is the Alto Tavoliere Museum where it is possible to admire very important finds that cover a period of time from Prehistory to the Early Middle Ages. Let yourself be inebriated by the delicate scent of the typical dishes enhanced by the flavor of Peranzana oil produced from particular native olives which give the oil a bitter and slightly spicy taste.

From Santa Maria di Stignano to San Giovanni Rotondo

21 km, +900, -536

Traveling along the scenic reliefs of the Gargano, among the ups and downs of the dense Mediterranean scrub which on the horizon offer a panoramic view of the wonderful and sparkling Apulian sea of the Gulf of Manfredonia, you will skirt the Monastery of the Resurrection from where you can glimpse the town of San Giovanni Rotondo. Here a pleasant walk among the fresh and rocky woods will lead you to the sight of the imposing Sanctuary of San Pio da Pietrelcina built in 2004 which every year welcomes thousands of believers from all over the world to pay homage to the saint's remains displayed in the crypt.
After the exciting visit to the places that marked the life of San Pio, let yourself be pampered by the unique flavors of the culinary tradition of the Gargano such as the typical paposcia, a delicious panfocaccia to be garnished with cured meats, vegetables and other local products.

Arrivederci Monte Sant'Angelo!

After breakfast, end of services. However, we suggest you take the time to walk through the streets of the village and listen to the secrets and legends of one of the oldest and most well-known pilgrimage destinations in Europe. The history of the town revolves around the figure of San Michele, venerated already in the Byzantine age, coinciding with the construction of the Sanctuary dedicated to him. However, it was with the Lombards that the devotion to the Archangel intensified and spread throughout Europe, so much so that the Sanctuary Cave was transformed into the most important place of worship dedicated to him.
A ritual that is renewed from year to year and which has its highlight at the end of September, when on the occasion of the patronal feast, the three apparitions of the Archangel on the Gargano are staged in the streets of the historic center.