The islands are located about 22 km from the coast of Gargano, tourist boats depart from the port of Peschica, Vieste or Manfredonia. The islands consist of three small islands: San Domino, San Nicola and Capraia. They are the only islands in the Adriatic Sea belonging to Italy and, from an administrative point of view, the islands belong to the district of Foggia and the region of Apulia. Before 1930, there was a convict station on the islands. Over time, however, the islands became more and more popular and are now very popular. In the off-season, most islands close their tourist facilities and the indigenous people resume their isolated, peaceful life. The history of the islands dates back to the Middle Ages. Legend has it that Diomedes, the Greek hero of the Trojan War, was buried here and a rare local bird species continued to mourn his death. At the beginning of the 11th century, the abbey of St. Mary on the island of San Nicola, an order of Benedictines who ruled with great religious power until the arrival of the Spaniards in the 18th century. King Ferdinand IV. used the abbey as a prison, the tradition continued with the fascists, who sent politicians into exile to the islands between 1920 and 1930. Ships coming to the Tremiti Islands are moored on the islands of San Domino or San Nicola, but for a fee you can be transported on small boats.
Apulian cuisine is based on simple ingredients. The most famous dish is homemade pasta Orechiette with broccoli leaves. Tiella is also a typical dish, made from rice, potatoes, mussels, onions and tomatoes. The specialties are also the mussels “alla Tarantina”, flavored with tomato sauce or boiled squid “alla Pinata” in a clay pot with onions, tomatoes and herbs, a typical dish for the Salento region. Cream-filled Pasticiotto Leccese is a typical dessert in the Salento region. When it comes to street food, be sure to omit the photo shoot in Bari in many variations or fried Panzerotto stuffed with tomatoes and mozzarella. Apulia is also a country of renowned wines, the most famous brands are Primitivodi Mnaduri, Negroamaro, Salice Salentino and Castel del Monte Aglianico.