The 60 Km of shoreline which stretches along the southern coast of the Abruzzi, between Ortona and Vasto, is named after the famous and celebrated “trabocchi” which rise up like sentinels on the sea, nowadays protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Trabocchi coast is one of Abruzzo’s most amazing tourist sights.
A trabocco is a combination of the magical and the practical.
They are throw-backs of a long-ago era, in use here since the 15th century.
Wooden stilts were used to erect freestanding platforms connected to the land, allowing fishermen to get farther out into the sea. Wooden arms stretch towards the sea, functioning as a support for a net that is lowered and hoisted with the help of a winch fixed in the center of the platform. On this platform, there is a wooden cabin today used as a warehouse or a kitchen for on-site restaurants.
The Italian writer and poet Gabriele D’Annunzio refers to the Trabocchi, in his tragedy “The Triumph of Death” as “colossal spiders” and described them as “machines” that seemed to live their own life.
It is possible to visit the structures and – upon reservation – to eat suspended between the sea and the wind to experience exciting and unforgettable evenings.
Good news for the ecotourists: a 42 Km track along this beautiful coastline will be soon available for bikers and hikers who fancy discovering the natural and historical beauty of this part of Abruzzo in a sustainable way.
https://viaverdedeitrabocchi.info