Category: Province of Chieti
Gateway to the Trabocchi Coast It’s a fickle kind of day and as I roam the grounds of the Castello Aragonese in Ortona the sun skulks behind fat clouds. Far below, the changing colours of the Adriatic reflect the moodiness of the sky. Castello Aragonese Like Vasto, Ortona is built on a clifftop and the Castle commands magnificent views up and down the coast. Built on a previous structure in the fifteenth century by the Aragonese, the latest in a long succession of invaders, it eventually became a noble residence, only to be destroyed during World War II. Entrance costs nothing and roaming the grounds high above the sea feels...
Heaven awaits We have been on an evening tour and we get there as darkness is falling. Which is why we narrowly miss being flattened by a family of cyclists out late on the Ciclovia Adriatica. They alert us with friendly shouts and a trill of bells and we jump back to let them pass. Off they go, their bicycle lamps twinkling like fireflies in the fading light. Safe once more on the other side, we descend towards a tiny pebble beach, at the far end of which are steps leading up to a trabocco-restaurant. It is ablaze with light, like some unearthly spacecraft that has just landed on its...
Fruit always tastes better when it’s stolen. I don’t know who said that but I know of no reason to doubt it. Which is why I find myself ducking under the fruit-laden boughs of a fig tree on a warm evening in late summer. Forbidden Fruit The figs are the ‘white’ variety as opposed to the plump ‘black’ or wine-coloured fruit of late season. Their skins, though, are green. They are also small and hard, a consequence, perhaps, of the recent drought. But when we peel back the skin the creamy fruit inside is pulpy and sweet. And very sticky. Luckily there is a tap nearby where we rinse...
Vasto, Vistas and Fish Soup Vasto seems an appropriate word for the cauldron of steaming hot brodo di pesce placed on the table before us. It’s huge. Floating in the still bubbling broth are hunks of fish and shellfish. I’m not sure where to start. Brodo di Pesce – a ritual Our waiter explains the procedure. First, dip chunks of bread into the soup. Then eat the fish and shellfish. Finally, he will bring out some pasta to mix with the remaining broth. And voilà, three meals in one. We have been issued with outsize blue bibs which the waiter ties with care behind our necks. Fearing that my reputation as...
My Trabocchi Coast Itinerary …in which we reflect on a dark period in Abruzzo’s history but then experience the lightness of being with a refreshing swim and lunch, restore body and soul at one of the region’s most stunning sacred sites, and end up at a nudist beach, but with our costumes and modesty intact. Here is our typical itinerary, highlighting five wonders of the Trabocchi Coast. Moro River Canadian War Cemetery Yes, I know the Canadian War Cemetery is not right on the coast. Neither is it a typical highlight on a day trip to the seaside. But our road from the north brings us here and there...
A Grave Encounter I am fascinated by graveyards. When I worked in an office in Edinburgh I used to eat my lunch in one. In general they are peaceful, green places full of birdsong and rich in stories. And some headstones are small works of art. This interest of mine does not always go down well with Italians, who have a different perception of cemeteries. I found this out the hard way when, while poking around a graveyard on a trip to Scotland with Italian friends, I sat down on a bench and produced our picnic lunch. I can still recall the shock on their faces. War cemeteries have,...
Let’s go for a spin “When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Why, I begin to wonder, as we heave our bikes onto the car roof, nipping our fingers in the process, is ‘going for a spin’ on the Adriatic Cycle Route beginning to seem like a major enterprise? And why do I feel anxious? Somewhere I have read that the Ciclovia Adriatica will end up being the longest...
On a sunny June morning in San Vito it seems a sin not to be joyful. Your first impressions, though, might leave you wondering. The town at first glance seems little more than a cheerless strip of buildings on either side of a road that rushes down to the sea, swerving abruptly southward as if anxious to leave it all behind. In San Vito there is no seafront to speak of, no promenade where you might enjoy an ice cream and an evening stroll, the holiday flats down at the shore are drab/shabby and the main beach itself is cramped. Where, you might wonder, is the joy? Trabocchi Well,...
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error in translation leaving this article non quite correct. Happiness is NOT desiring what you have, is the correct translation.…
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