Absolutely Abruzzo - your tuscansunflower

La costa dei Trabocchi

The southern half of the Abruzzese coast is a little-known gem of a place. But unlike the last coast I visited, it’s not exactly known for its large touristic draw despite being littered with (tentative) UNESCO world heritage sites: Trabocchi. These old fishing setups are reminiscent of Southeast Asian fishing rigs. These large wooden structures are built on the shallow edge of the Adriatic sea and extend a few dozen meters out. About ten meters up, large wooden arms reach far out to guide nets that trap shallow water fish, molluscs, and crustaceans. Many nearing the two century mark, most of these permanent structures have been transformed into restaurants and summer bars.

Access

Traveling to coastal towns and summer destinations in February made accessing the water a little difficult since almost everything is closed and deserted. It took awhile, but we finally reached the water and walking path. We got to admire one of these Trabocchi up close from the sea. And we eventually made our way up to the front entrance.

Punta Torre

The old…

As we admired the trabocco from the bike path (another marvel of the area), a man walked up, unlocked the front gate, and told us we were free to explore it: Claudio. He walked us to the main area of the trabocco, slowly and carefully, where he told us the name– Punta Torre– of his trabocco, and the a brief history. Built in 1850, it’s still almost all original, with only minor repairs throughout the years. He told us that fishermen still use the rig and how they do it.

…and the new

As we reached the head, he stopped his history lesson to tell us about the modern traditions of his trabocco. Poetry. Everyone who comes must read a poem out loud. Whether by themselves, to their significant other, or to a group, it doesn’t matter, but they’ve got to read. He had a poem at the ready and handed it to Mike. He walked away and gave Mike a nod. I sat down on a swing, and awaited my serenade. Something about the biting sea air, the gentle swinging, Claudio’s warming aura, and Mike’s steady voice made for an unforgettable experience.

Ortona

As a Canadian, I’m almost disappointed with myself for not being more aware of the history surrounding Ortona. Monuments to Canada and Canadians were all over the map here. In December of 1943, a Canadian division took the city in a hard-fought battle against two German divisions during an extremely bloody battle known as “the Italian Stalingrad.” Luckily, the destruction wrought has since been repaired, but the appreciation for Canadians is still going strong.

We were only here for a short time, strolling leisurely along its wide central avenue and its magnificent cliffside road. Walking along a steep precipice, you might think that the quickest way to experience a big change would be to take one step in the wrong direction– and you’d be right– except that in Ortona’s case, that direction isn’t off the cliff, but toward the main thoroughfare. The small unkempt roads and rows of rundown houses between the clean, modern, scenic route and the wide, pedestrian avenue are in stark contrast to the main touristic and pedestrian areas.

Castle in the sky

At the end of both of these converging promenades lies the Aragonese castle, or at least its ruins. Open to the public, large portions of the castle remain intact but the walking paths that lead round the walls are not. Being atop a mountain, Ortona, and especially the castle, boasts magnificent views of the entire coastline. You get a bird’s eye view of Ortona’s port and you can see trabucchi in the distance toward the south. You can see kilometres of the coastal bike path in either direction.

During our short stay, we stopped at two places: Yacht Bar, for a coffee– and where we discovered nevole, a typical, exclusively Ortonese sweet treat that consists of flour, oil, water, cooked grape must, and various fragrant spices– and Champagnino, a drink-and-eatery that only serves local food and drink.

Chieti

Chieti was definitely a town. That’s the least I can say. The layout is quite confusing, and for one of the oldest cities in Italy (supposedly founded in 1181BC by Achilles and named after his mother Thetis), it was surprisingly … plain? Don’t get me wrong. It was beautiful! There were old buildings, a large pedestrian avenue lined with cute little cafés, bookshops, and boutiques, all hidden away under tall porticos, but there was something missing. For the nice day that we had, the town seemed almost hauntingly empty. Though, being a student town– there are dozens of schools here, including the University of Chieti, which has 35,000 students (the city only has 50,000 residents)– and it being a holiday could have meant that everyone had gone home to see their families. Regardless, it was quaint but completely empty.

Though the few lively areas we were able to find, were quite enjoyable. After walking through the charming porticos, we found a small square with a bar where we had a midday Crodino while Dundun became suddenly terrified. Mike literally had to hold her in his arms for an hour.

The city has all the prerequisites for excitement: history, beautiful surrounding landscapes– it sits atop a hill and is surrounded by several others–, and a strange demonym that has no immediate connection to the city’s name: Teatini.

San Vito Chietino

After our walk through Chieti, we visited San Vito Chietino. Another hilltop village, but this one has a modern historical link: Gabriele D’Annunzio, Italy’s very own poet-turned-war hero. His former residence here has become something of a pilgrimage site. The town itself is definitely a summer destination: literally everything was closed and all the windows had ‘for rent’ signs. Yet another charming town with a view that would probably have been better enjoyed with others– or at least a restaurant or bar to sit down at. But the old centre, built on the Promontorio Dannunziano, is fantastic.

Punta Aderci

Highly recommended by Claudio, Punta Aderci is a natural reserve that offers an extensive trekking network. Being on the coast, you can also go down to the beach and swim. According to locals, it’s one of the top beaches in Italy! But it’s oddly located. You need to drive into an industrial park and past a bus-and-truck driving school before seeing a sign for a parking area. Don’t try coming here without some type of motor vehicle because it’s (probably) impossible.

But the place itself? Wow. Large grassy knolls, wide footpaths, makeshift log stairs leading down hillsides to pebbly beaches, and spectacular views. You could spend an entire day walking the paths and it wouldn’t be enough. It extends from the port of Vasto all the way to Termini (No, not the train station in Rome). It’s a beautiful place and I’d love to come back in the summer for a hike and a swim.