The areas of the territory

Costa Trabocchi

«The machine seemed to live its own life, to have an air and a semblance of a living body.
 The wood had been exposed for ages to the sun, to the rain, to gusts of wind and now manifested its veins.....
it flaked, it was worn, it was as white as shinbone or as polished as silver or as grey as flint, gaining a distinctive impression like that of a person on whom old age and suffering had completed their cruel work.»
This is how D’Annunzio describes the trebuchet, traditional fishing machines, in his Il Trionfo della Morte (The Triumph of Death). Survivors of an age-old cottage fishing industry, often the main source of sustenance in these areas, the trebuchet consist of a wooden platform suspended over the sea and anchored onto the rock by trunks of Aleppo pine. Two or more “antennae” extend from the platform to support the large, finely woven fishing nets called “trabocchetto”. The varying morphologies that characterise the various zones that line this coast, including deep waters or stony bottoms, has in fact determined the development of different types of trebuchet in various stretches of Italy's southern coastline, from those found in Abruzzo, to those in the Gargano, or those of the southern Tyrrhenian coast. The Abruzzo model consists of a platform installed perpendicular to the coastline, to which the nets is connected by means of a bridge formed by wooden planks, while to the south, in the Gargano, due to the rocky shoreline, the platform is anchored to the rock and placed lengthwise along the shore.
True extensions of the land towards the sea, today the trebuchet are a symbol of Abruzzo’s past, testifying to a reality that succeeded in defeating the power of the sea and of time, and is still an integral part of the landscape along the southern Adriatic coast. To protect this precious heritage, the cities of Rocca San Giovanni, Fossacesia, San Vito Chietino, Torino di Sangro, and Treglio have established an association called the Centro di Documentazione Ambientale (Centre for Environmental Documentation) to enact an important project called “Costa dei Trabocchi”. The purpose of the association is to promote the environmental and naturalistic heritage through the conservation and collection of materials from the zone; the association offices are located in the ancient village of Vallevò, located precisely at the centre of the five cities that are promoting this initiative; here a large panel indicates trails, itineraries, and information for the convenience of visitors. Furthermore, it is possible to consult texts, specialised periodicals, images, layouts, and CD-ROMs.

The towns of the “Costa”
Coming from the north along the coast of the province of Chieti, one finds Francavilla al Mare, which has been a famous beach resort since 1873. The municipal territory stretches along a belt of sandy beach before developing into rolling hills in the higher part. Facing the sea, where the greenhouses and agricultural settlements are situated between the mouths of the rivers Foro and Alento, passing through Francavilla makes it easy to reach the cities of Pescara and Chieti, while thanks to the highway of the Alento valley, there is easy access to some of the most beautiful sites of the Park of the Majella. It is curious that the name of this town derives from the Middle Ages and owes its origins to the fact that the village obtained a twelve-year tax exemption.
Following Francavilla, Ortona rises up on a green promontory overlooking the sea. This small town is famous for its port, one of the best-equipped facilities for commercial traffic, but also for the renowned beach resorts, the Cathedral of St. Thomas, and the Palazzo Farnese.
Continuing southward, the coastline takes on new forms, becoming more varied and leaving space to beaches and inlets where the limpid waters give visitors more than a glimpse of the sand and pebbles on the sea floor: One example is the famous cove called “Acquabella”.
On a rocky hill overlooking the sea is San Vito Chietino, “the town of brooms", from which visitors can admire a spectacular panorama that begins at the Majella and fades into the distant Tremiti Islands. Another 2 kilometres from the city centre, heading towards the sea, we find Marina di San Vito, a charming seaside resort. It is precisely at this point of the coast that the trebuchet begin to appear: at the foot of the Cape Turchino promontory, it is still possible to see the same trebuchet that inspired D’Annuzio in the abovementioned “Trionfo della Morte”.
Slightly to the south of San Vito Chietino, a bit inland in a territory of low-lying hills, stands the small village of Rocca San Giovanni, the counterpart of the seaside town of Marina di Rocca San Giovanni, famous in particular for two beautiful beaches, of which the one located in the “Foce” area is the larger; mostly gravel, this shoreline covers more than 600 metres between the ancient village of Vallevò and Punta Torre, where it is possible to find the trebuchet of the same name. The second beach is called “Cavalluccio”. It is sandy, about 30 metres long and 4 wide, and equipped for tourists with a beach facility. This area holds a particular interest because it is still possible to see trebuchets in use even today, together with the great faraglione – large blocks of rock that jut upright out of the sea - called the “scoglione”. Overall, however, the coast of Rocca San Giovanni boasts numerous trebuchets: the one of Punta Punciosa, the one of Punta Cavalluccio, of Punta Torre, of Spezzacatene, of Punta Isolata, of the Scoglio del Gabbiano, and of the Punta Tufano.
Continuing along towards Molise, north of the mouth of the Sangro, we find Fossacesia Marina about 3 kilometres from the gulf of Veneris; the sandy and pebbly beaches are enhanced and protected by the Mediterranean maquis that characterises the landscape even more southward, where it transforms into the largest and loveliest seaside woodlands, the holms oak grove of Torino di Sangro. The town does not face the sea, but even in this case, along the shore road and east of the foce of the Sangro, there is the beach resort of Torino di Sangro Marina, which boasts a beautiful, 16th-century parish church dedicated to S. Salvatore. The woods, where holm oak and elm, the Turkey oak and the downy oak share the stage, follows along the coast until it meets the wide sandy beaches of Casalbordino, a small town at 201 meters of altitude, which then opens up onto Vasto and its wonderfully wide sandy beaches. The city is rich in history, as the towers, the churches, and the palaces suggest. From a naturalistic point of view, be sure to see the promontory of Punta Aderci and the natural Reserve of the same name, and ideal spot for bird watching enthusiasts.
The Costa dei Trabocchi ends with the town of San Salvo, whose spacious beach is still nearly uncontaminated, which marks the meeting point between Abruzzo and Molise. The ancient town boasts the presence of a protected coastal area near the mouth of the Buonanotte stream, where the precious dune environment is protected to conserve its original flora and fauna.