Baia di Vignanotica

Baia di Vignanotica is a white-pebble bay beneath limestone cliffs on the Gargano coast between Vieste and Mattinata.

Why it matters

The bay is part of a protected coastal landscape where steep cliffs, coves and sea stacks meet the Adriatic. Its rock formations expose the Maiolica limestone, a geological unit deposited during the Cretaceous.

What to notice

The cliff layers are locally folded and contorted, evidence of submarine slumping during sedimentation. Offshore stacks and pale limestone frame the bay; the shore is made of pebbles rather than sand.

Context and history

The eastern Gargano coast has been shaped by uplift and marine erosion along fractured limestone strata. Vignanotica lies at the mouth of Vallone Vignanotica and is protected within Gargano National Park. The cliffs remain an active geological landscape.