{"id":3274,"date":"2023-02-23T11:02:31","date_gmt":"2023-02-23T11:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.homegargano.com\/?p=3274"},"modified":"2023-04-14T15:48:55","modified_gmt":"2023-04-14T15:48:55","slug":"the-umbra-forest-the-green-lung-of-the-gargano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homegargano.com\/en\/the-umbra-forest-the-green-lung-of-the-gargano\/","title":{"rendered":"The Umbra Forest, the green lung of the Gargano"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\nIn the Umbra Forest there is one of the richest biodiversity places in Italy<\/strong>. This large forest is also called the “green lung”. It is located in the north of Puglia and is ideal for those who want to immerse themselves in unspoiled nature.\r\n\r\nThe Umbra Forest is an expanse of greenery and embraces the municipalities of Vico del Gargano, Vieste<\/a> and Monte Sant’Angelo<\/a>. It extends to 830 m above sea level and consists of a heterogeneous habitat, which is very rare in Italy.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

One of the places with the most biodiversity in Italy<\/h2>\r\nThe position in which the Gargano is located makes it one of the richest areas in biodiversity. This is due to the process that dates back to more than hundreds of millions of years ago. At that times\u00a0the mainland began to emerge and the Gargano was only an island separated from the mainland<\/strong>.\r\n\r\nAfter joining the mainland, the Gargano has maintained its peculiar biodiversity thanks to the strategic and isolated position<\/strong> it had had during the morphological changes. This fact has largely limited the genetic pollution of the endemic species with those of the neighboring territories.\r\n\r\nThe first populations settled in the Gargano as early as the Paleolithic<\/strong> and Neolithic ages.<\/strong>\r\n\r\nLocal flora<\/strong> is characterized by the presence of the “Colossi della foresta” <\/em>(colossi of the forest).\u00a0The beech woods are so called, with their 350 years of age and 25 meters in height<\/strong>, make the lower part of the wood more shady. In 2017 the Apulian beech woods<\/strong> became a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site together with the already recognized Sanctuary of San Michele Arcangelo of Monte Sant’Angelo.\r\n

Orchids, the flagship flowers of the Gargano<\/h2>\r\nThe orchid blooms in the Gargano begin in April and end in late July. It make the landscape even more pleasing to the eye, adorning the iridescent green of the forest with bright colors such as: yellow, purple and blue.\r\n\r\nMore than 89 different species of orchids<\/strong> have been found in the Gargano, including some rare ones<\/strong> that arose thanks to the almost isolated position of this territory. The widespread genus in the Umbra Forest is called Ophrys, which includes 60 species including:\r\n