The Via Verde della Costa dei Trabocchi: A Complete Guide
The Via Verde is a 42-kilometre cycle path along the Adriatic coast of Abruzzo, between Ortona and Vasto. It runs on the trackbed of the old coastal railway, which means it is flat, entirely free of traffic, and often close enough to the sea that you can hear it. What makes it unlike any other rail-trail in Italy is what stands in the water beside it: the trabocchi, the wooden fishing machines that give the coast its name.
This guide covers what the route actually is, which parts are finished, how to ride it, and what the trabocchi are — written by an Italian tour operator that runs this coast, including the parts that are still awkward.
What the trabocchi are
A trabocco is a fishing platform built on stilts over the sea, reached from the shore by a long, narrow wooden walkway, with nets suspended from two enormous arms. They exist because this stretch of coast has almost no natural harbours: rather than put out in boats on a sea that turns rough quickly, fishermen built the machines out over the water and fished without leaving the land.
They are old. Documents record trabocchi on this coast from the thirteenth century — Pope Celestine V, staying at the abbey of San Giovanni in Venere above Fossacesia in the 1240s, is described admiring a sea dotted with them. Their most famous description came much later: in the summer of 1889 Gabriele d'Annunzio rented a house above a trabocco near San Vito Chietino, and the structure became a central image of his 1894 novel Il trionfo della morte, where he calls it a strange fishing machine of boards and beams, like a colossal spider.
Fewer than twenty-five survive along the roughly seventy kilometres of the Costa dei Trabocchi, in the province of Chieti. Several now operate as restaurants — you eat on the platform, over the water, on a fixed seafood menu. It is the single most memorable meal on this coast, and in season it needs booking days ahead.
The route: what it is and where it goes
The Adriatic railway along this coast opened in 1863. In 2005 the line was doubled and moved inland, and the old single track along the shore was abandoned. The Via Verde was built on it.
| Route | Via Verde della Costa dei Trabocchi |
|---|---|
| From / to | Ortona to Vasto (province of Chieti, Abruzzo) |
| Length | 42 km |
| Municipalities | Ortona, San Vito Chietino, Rocca San Giovanni, Fossacesia, Torino di Sangro, Casalbordino, Vasto |
| Terrain | Flat — it is a former railway, so gradients are negligible |
| Traffic | None on the greenway itself |
| Surface | Sealed cycle path, with lit tunnels through the headlands |
| Bike | Any. Road, hybrid, e-bike, child trailer — all fine |
Because it inherits a railway alignment, the Via Verde does what roads on this coast cannot: it goes straight through the headlands in tunnels rather than climbing over them. The tunnels are lit and surfaced, and coming out of one into full sunlight with the Adriatic a few metres below is the reason people remember this ride.
The honest part: what is not finished
The Via Verde is rideable along most of its length but it is not yet continuous. Around the twentieth kilometre the path breaks off and you have to cover roughly two kilometres on the SS16 Adriatica, the old coastal trunk road, before rejoining it. The SS16 is not a pleasant road — it carries real traffic at real speed, with no shoulder in places.
This matters most if you are riding with children or with anyone nervous in traffic. It is short, and it is signposted, but it is the one part of the day that is not a greenway. Work continues and sections open progressively, so check the current state before you build a family trip around the full 42 km.
Short version: the Via Verde is one of the finest and easiest coastal rides in Italy, with a two-kilometre asterisk in the middle.
Riding it in a day
Forty-two kilometres on the flat is a comfortable day for almost anyone, including families and occasional cyclists, and about three hours of actual riding. The temptation — and the right instinct — is to make it much slower than that.
Ride south from Ortona in the morning so the light is behind you and the sea on your left. Stop at Fossacesia to climb the short hill to the abbey of San Giovanni in Venere, a Romanesque church on a terrace above the coast with the whole bay laid out below; it is the one climb worth making and it takes twenty minutes. Book lunch on a trabocco. Then finish towards Vasto in the afternoon.
The return is easy to arrange: the current railway runs parallel a little inland, with stations at Ortona, Fossacesia-Torino di Sangro and Vasto-San Salvo, so you can ride one way and take the train back. Check each service's bicycle policy before you travel, as it differs between regional trains.
Riding it as part of a longer tour
The Via Verde is short enough that most people arriving from abroad build it into a longer coastal itinerary rather than travelling for a single afternoon. The natural line comes down the Adriatic from the north, through Marche into Abruzzo, with the Via Verde as the final and best stretch:
| Stage | Notes |
|---|---|
| San Benedetto del Tronto to Roseto degli Abruzzi | Coastal cycle paths and quiet seafront roads |
| Roseto degli Abruzzi to Francavilla al Mare | Past Pescara, the region's one big city |
| Francavilla al Mare to Fossacesia | About 35 km, +300 m — the Via Verde begins |
| Fossacesia to Vasto / San Salvo | The heart of the trabocchi coast |
That is the line our self-guided Greenway of the Trabocchi tour follows over six days, with hotels, daily luggage transfer and GPS navigation arranged. The Via Verde itself is public and free, and you are welcome to ride it independently using this guide.
When to go
April to June and September to October. The path is exposed and there is very little shade on the open sections, so midsummer riding means early starts.
August is the real consideration, and it is worth being blunt about it: this is an Italian seaside coast in the Italian holiday month. The greenway fills with families, the beaches fill, and the trabocco restaurants book out. It is still enjoyable, but it is not the quiet ride the photographs suggest. Winter is mild and the path stays open, though many seasonal restaurants close.
Practical notes
- Bike. Anything works. This is one of the few Italian routes where a road bike, a hybrid and a bike pulling a child trailer are all equally sensible choices.
- Booking a trabocco. Do it before you set off, not when you get hungry. In summer the good ones are full days in advance, and most serve a set seafood menu rather than à la carte.
- Tunnels. Lit, but a rear light is still worth having, and sunglasses are worth taking off before you enter.
- Water and shade. Sparse between towns. Carry a bottle and plan stops in the coastal villages.
- Trains. The inland Adriatic line runs parallel with useful stations along the route, which makes one-way rides straightforward. Bicycle carriage rules vary by service — check before travelling.
- Getting there. Pescara has the region’s airport and its main station; see our notes on how to reach Abruzzo.
- Combining regions. Abruzzo pairs naturally with the Marche coast to the north; inland, the Majella and Gran Sasso are serious mountain riding and a different holiday altogether. Our page on reasons to visit Abruzzo by bike covers the rest of the region.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Via Verde della Costa dei Trabocchi?
42 kilometres, from Ortona to Vasto, crossing seven municipalities along the coast of the province of Chieti in Abruzzo.
Is the Via Verde finished?
Almost. Most of the route is a continuous traffic-free greenway, but around the twentieth kilometre there is a break of roughly two kilometres where you ride on the SS16 Adriatica, a busy trunk road. Sections continue to open, so check the current state before you travel.
Is it suitable for families and children?
The greenway sections are ideal: flat, sealed, car-free and short. The two-kilometre gap on the SS16 is the exception and is not suitable for children — plan to skip it, or ride only the finished stretches on either side.
What bike do I need?
Any bike. The surface is sealed and the route is flat, so road bikes, hybrids, e-bikes and bikes with child trailers all work.
What is a trabocco?
A wooden fishing platform on stilts over the sea, connected to the shore by a narrow walkway, with nets hung from long arms. They have existed on this coast since at least the thirteenth century, and Gabriele d'Annunzio described one as a colossal spider in his 1894 novel Il trionfo della morte. Fewer than twenty-five survive; several are now restaurants.
Can I eat on a trabocco?
Yes. Several operate as seafood restaurants where you eat on the platform above the water, usually on a set menu. Book days ahead in summer.
Can I ride one way and return by train?
Yes. The modern Adriatic railway runs a little inland with stations at Ortona, Fossacesia-Torino di Sangro and Vasto-San Salvo. Check the bicycle policy of the specific service before you travel.
How many days do I need?
The Via Verde itself is a single relaxed day. Most visitors from abroad ride it as the final stretch of a longer Adriatic coastal tour of five or six days coming down from Marche.
Questions this guide does not answer? Write to us — we run this coast and we ride it ourselves. Contact us and we will reply within one working day.