Punta San Francesco

Exploring the historic center of Vieste you cannot miss a visit to Punta San Francesco.
The small peninsula is the end of the rock on which the medieval district stands, inhabited since remote times due to its strategic position and its mighty natural bastion which made it difficult to attack by sea. The name of the peninsula is linked to that of the church and monastery that rise at its end. The construction of the religious complex of Punta San Francesco dates back to 1438, when a married couple from Viestani, Algragio and Narda, had a convent built at their own expense, donating it to the Poor Clares. Unfortunately the convent didn't last long, perhaps destroyed in one of the tragic events that shook the ancient "Viesti" between the 1809th and XNUMXth centuries. On the ashes of the convent the current Church with Monastery was built which housed the Franciscan friars. The monastery was closed in XNUMX during the French rule by Gioacchino Murat, and was first converted into a military outpost, then a military and civil prison.
From via San Francesco, looking at the church, on the left we find the small marina bay and the islet of Sant'Eufemia which hosts the lighthouse, on the right a staircase that takes us to a stupendous cliff with trebuchet and a magnificent view of the historic center overlooking the sea.