Art on the Gargano: from the Daunians to contemporary artists

The art of the Gargano has its origins in the Neolithic. Gargano has been reconfirmed over the course of time as a place full of culture, art and creativity. The religious matrix has favored the inspiration of the artists and is still today the most recurring motif in contemporary works. We have identified for you the most significant works of art and the places not to be missed.

Dauna art of the Gargano

The first evidence of art in the Gargano dates back to the age of the Dauna civilization. The most significant finds are the subgeometric pottery and the Daunian steles with scenes of daily life. Anthropomorphic funeral slabs have also been found in the major Dauni centers, now conserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Manfredonia. Among the sculpted images, the swastika, a religious symbol of the Eurasian populations, and the flower of life represented with concentric circles often recur.

Religious art

The art of the Gargano has a strong Christian matrix which has become the protagonist of the main artistic representations over the centuries. In fact, starting from 300 AD. Christianity began to replace the pagan tradition and became from 500 AD. the main cult. The Monte Sant’Angelo village is certainly one of the emblematic places to still breathe the Christian soul today and to recover the artistic history of the Gargano. For all believers, the Archangel Michael repeatedly appeared here in Monte Sant’Angelo. Thus for centuries the village has become a pilgrimage destination for popes, emperors, kings, saints and faithful. Despite numerous looting and expoliation, the artistic heritage has largely survived and can be admired at:

• the Grotto (place of the apparitions)
• the Longobard crypts that develop for about 60 meters under
• the floor of the cave
• the devotional and lapidary museums.

The Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A place not to be missed if you are an art lover is the installation of the early Christian building at the Abbey of Siponto. The work is called “Where art reconstructs time” and was created by Edoardo Tresoldi, just 28 years old. The artist conducted in-depth studies together with archaeologists and local experts, which were then followed by as many studies regarding the choice of materials to be used. Edoardo managed to bring archeology and contemporary art into dialogue, bearing witness to the past in a very current way and creating a work that has given new life to Siponto, attracting thousands of visitors fascinated by how a 7-ton wire mesh can literally look like a drawing in the air.

Contemporary art of the Gargano

Beyond the Christian matrix, the Gargano is a place full of spirituality and the associations do their utmost to organize photographic and pictorial exhibitions to enhance the art of the territory.

If you admire a more underground type of art I suggest you visit the graffiti of Foggia. The artist of the murals is Alessandro Tricarico, a young photojournalist who has decided to make the faces of ordinary people immortal using street art. His works are so true as to leave you astonished, the experienced faces of the elderly of the villages, the sweetness of a grandmother, the social denunciation of the problem of the homeless. Alessandro reaches people’s hearts with immediate and extremely contemporary communication.