Via Verde of the Costa dei Trabocchi: 42 km by the sea, by bike

The Via Verde of the Costa dei Trabocchi is one of Italy’s most beautiful cycle paths: 42 flat kilometres laid on the bed of the old Adriatic railway, dismantled in 2005 when the trains were moved inland. Where convoys once ran, a ribbon of asphalt now hugs the water from Ortona to Vasto and San Salvo, across seven towns — and Torino di Sangro is its green heart.

You set off from the port of Ortona, beneath the Aragonese Castle, and ride south through lit tunnels, low cliffs and the famous trabocchi: the old stilt fishing machines that Gabriele d’Annunzio called «colossal spiders». The first, the Turchino at San Vito Chietino, is the one the writer watched from his hermitage. A little further on, up on the headland, the Abbey of San Giovanni in Venere overlooks the mouth of the Sangro.

Through Torino di Sangro the path skirts the Lecceta Nature Reserve, brushes the pebbly beach of Costa Verde and reaches Le Morge — fine sand awarded the 2025 Blue Flag, with its monument-trabocco suspended over the water. It’s the perfect stop: a swim, a seafood lunch, then back in the saddle towards Casalbordino, the Punta Aderci reserve and Vasto.

The surface is easy (flat, the old railbed) but the ride is long: an e-bike is best for a round trip in a day. Note for 2026: some sections are still closed for works, with a detour onto the SS16 near Lago Dragoni — check the state of the path before you set out.

Good to know

• Bike and e-bike rentals at Ortona, San Vito Marina and Fossacesia: with an e-bike the 42 km round trip is within everyone’s reach
• The flattest, most family-friendly stretch is Ortona → Fossacesia → Torino di Sangro
• The long «Torino di Sangro tunnel» (Galleria del Diavolo, 5.3 km) is NOT on the cycle path: it belongs to the new inland railway. The tunnels you ride through are the short, lit ones on the San Vito headland
• Stop at the trabocco-restaurants for lunch — many require a reservation
• Check the 2026 works: a temporary detour runs on the SS16 at Lago Dragoni (Torino di Sangro)

Best time: April to October; spring and September are ideal — mild weather and uncrowded beaches

How to do it: by bike