Lecceta di Torino di Sangro Regional Nature Reserve

The "Lecceta di Torino di Sangro" Regional Nature Reserve was established by Abruzzo Regional Law No. 67 of December 19, 2001, and covers approximately 175 hectares south of the mouth of the Sangro River, along the Costa dei Trabocchi. It is one of the least known yet most precious natural gems of the Abruzzo Adriatic coast.

The forest is a mixed Mediterranean scrubland where the holm oak (Quercus ilex) is the signature species, accompanied by downy oak, Turkey oak, and manna ash, in addition to the rich riparian vegetation along the banks of the Sangro. What makes the Lecceta unique is its location: it is one of the very few surviving natural coastal forests in the central Adriatic, a landscape relic that tells the story of what the coast was like before modern human development.

The reserve’s flagship species is the Hermann’s tortoise (Testudo hermanni), of which the reserve hosts one of the largest populations in Abruzzo. The avifauna is extremely rich: among the nesting species are the blackcap, the Eurasian wryneck, the Sardinian warbler, the lesser whitethroat, the common reed warbler, the bee-eater, the green woodpecker, and the great spotted woodpecker, as well as waterbirds associated with the river mouth and migratory birds passing through.

The reserve is crisscrossed by a network of themed trails:

• Nature Trail — educational, short, and accessible
• Cemetery Trail — leading to the poignant Sangro War Cemetery, a British memorial to those who fell in World War II
• Sangro Trail — along the riverbanks
• Hiking Trail — more challenging
• MTB Trail — for cyclists
• Trabocco Trail — toward the coast and the Trabocco of Punta Le Morge

Facilities include a Visitor Center in Contrada Saletti featuring educational workshops, seminars, temporary exhibitions, yoga classes, guided tours, and volunteer programs. There is a fully equipped picnic area, a section dedicated to turtles, and a Mediterranean garden for species identification.

Admission is free. Guided tours and educational workshops organized by the Visitor Center may require a fee and advance booking. The reserve is managed by the Cogecstre Cooperative.