With a surface area of approximately 60.5 km², Lake Varano is the largest lake in southern Italy, the largest coastal lake in Italy and the seventh largest in the country.
It is located north of the Gargano promontory, inside the Gargano National Park.
Lake Varano is fed by underwater springs and communicates with the sea through two river mouths, Foce Varano and Foce Capoiale. Its morphology is atypical, as it has high banks and depths of more than 5 metres.