The Trabocchi Cycle Route Along the Abruzzo Coast

The Adriatic, in everyone's mind, is an expanse of neatly lined umbrellas and crowded beach clubs. But there's a stretch of coast, in Abruzzo, where the sea has an entirely different character: cliffs, hidden coves, green headlands and, above all, the trabocchi, ancient wooden fishing machines jutting out over the water like spiders on stilts. This is the Costa dei Trabocchi, in the province of Chieti, and for a few years now a disused old railway that once crossed it has become a cycle route running almost always right at the water's edge. To ride here is to discover another idea of the Adriatic, far from the crowded beaches and immersed in a landscape of fishing and tradition.

The route

The path follows the abandoned Adriatic line, the one that once ran right along the shore before the railway was moved further inland. From Ortona, a port town with its Aragonese castle looking out over the sea, the route winds southward, touching one after another the loveliest spots on the coast. It passes through San Vito Chietino, the village tied to Gabriele d'Annunzio and his trabocchi, and crosses coves and nature reserves such as Punta Aderci, near Vasto, where the coast turns wild and unspoiled. Along the way the trabocchi follow one after another, some still active and now turned into restaurants over the water where you eat freshly caught fish, others silent and photogenic against the sunset. You ride through lit tunnels, restored old stations and stretches where the sea is so close you can hear it.

Easy for everyone

The great advantage of this cycle route is its railway origin: the path is almost entirely flat, with a wide, paved surface, genuinely suitable for anyone, from families with children to those who just want to enjoy the scenery effortlessly. The few tunnels are lit, making the journey safe and smooth. The physical demand is minimal, and it's perhaps the most relaxing seaside itinerary you can imagine: no tough climbs, just long straightaways in contact with the water. This makes it perfect even for those who aren't trained cyclists and simply want to travel slowly, stopping at every cove for a swim or every trabocco for a photo.

When to go

The ideal time is late spring and early autumn. May offers an already inviting sea, the Mediterranean scrub in bloom and long, mild days, while September gives you water still warm after summer but without the crush of the peak months. In these months you avoid the scorching heat of July and August, when even this coast, though quieter than the Romagna riviera, sees more people, and you'll find the shore almost to yourself. Mass beach tourism prefers the equipped beaches and noisy resorts further north, leaving these coves and trabocchi to those seeking an authentic, silent Adriatic. Riding off-season, you feel you've discovered a secret coast.

Practical tips

A practical tip: book ahead for dinner at one of the trabocchi turned restaurant, because eating fish on a platform suspended over the sea, perhaps at sunset, is the experience that best captures this land and is much in demand. Bring a swimsuit and a towel, because along the route the chances for a dip in the coves are constant and it would be a shame not to take advantage of them. And set off with a good supply of water on hot days: the route is easy, but the sun exposure near the sea can be deceptive, and stopping in the shade of a trabocco to cool off is the right way to experience the Costa dei Trabocchi.

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