RODI GARGANICO > FORESTA UMBRA

Reaching up to 800 metres above sea level, the Foresta Umbra is home to a large number of animal and plant species, which is why some of its areas have restricted access to humans, in order to protect and preserve the inhabitants of the forest. Among the plant species that you can observe, the Zappino dello Scorzonean approximately 700-year . old Aleppo pine (this can be found in the area located between Peschici and San Menaio), the Cerro di Vico (Turkey Oak),situated opposite the sanctuary of St. Francis in Vico del Gargano, that is said to be approximately 400 years old, as well as having a 5-metre trunk circumference and the Patriarca della Foresta (Patriarch of the Forest),, a beech tree with a diameter of 2 metres and a height of over 40 metres, located in the Dispensa locality. Among the typical animals of the Foresta Umbra instead the capriolo garganico, a species native to the area. Of course, there is also no shortage of birds, including woodpeckers, eagle owls, tawny owls, sparrow hawks, passerines, thrushes, cuckoos, hoopoes and many others. At night, it is possible to spot badgers, beech martens, foxes, porcupines and dormice;