BLOG I DAY 26 I  ITALY'S FOUR SEAS: A cycle tour along the Italian peninsula

October 09, 2023  Vasto  (Upper Town), Puglia - Cupra Marittima, Marche  I  150 Km

After a good sleep I had breakfast in the room with a coffee and milk with chocolate crossant, I ate a yoghurt and drank a glass of orange juice. I hadn't even removed the panniers from the bicycle so in a few minutes I left it at the accommodation, putting the room key in a small house outside the place where the landlady had told me to leave it.

The first stretch - After leaving the B&B I wandered around the well-preserved historic center of Vasto which is very beautiful and worth the visit. Afterwards I took some photographs of the monuments and obviously I stopped to see the beautiful view from the enchanting balcony overlooking the gulf and sea view.

Pedaling on sections of the Via Verde cycle/pedestrian path of the Costa dei Trabocchi

It is a cycle path that winds along the "Via Verde" is a cycle/pedestrian path along the Costa dei Trabocchi, the magnificent Abruzzo coast, following the route of the ancient Adriatic railway. Its route begins in Ortona and ends in Vasto Marina. In 2023 the Via Verde hosted the first stage of the Giro d'Italia, the 42 kilometer stretch characterized by the presence of these ancient fishing machines on stilts called Trabocchi. It is a route that features varied landscapes with corners of beaches and nature reserves, offers hidden and uncontaminated glimpses and passes through pretty villages.

The cycle/pedestrian path runs along one of the most evocative stretches of coast in the Adriatic, a few meters from the sea and is nearing completion.

The second stretch - I had left Vasto and the downhill road had now led towards the coast passing by the sign on the road "Vasto 2023 Giro d'Italia" and I had taken the SS 16 Adriatica road and in a corner of the route I had stopped to admire the colors and the shade of the sky and the sun that was rising and reflected on the sea and on a Trabocco. I knew that in the area there would be the Via Verde cycle/pedestrian path of the Costa dei Trabocchi but I had not come across any indications and after traveling for some kilometers I stopped in an area of the road because I was fascinated by the olive trees and there was a space where I could see the coast better and I had seen the cycle path and somehow I managed to take the cycle path.

The third stretch - The journey continues on the Via Verde cycle-pedestrian path of the Costa dei Trabocchi, skirting the coast along the former railway line, you cycle and as you go along the cycle-pedestrian path, you have the opportunity to admire the extraordinary natural beauty of the Abruzzo coast, with the beaches and the sea with various nuances, you pass in front of Trabocchi without ever visiting them inland, you pass cyclists and pedestrians and in any case not very crowded perhaps because it was in the morning or perhaps because it is low season and therefore fewer tourists, I couldn't complain while enjoying uncontaminated areas and peaceful.

The fourth stretch - Then, further on we move on to another beach with small blue boats parked on the beach and then the beautiful mural of a group of cyclists and all colorful is a work dedicated to Alessandro Fantini, he was an Italian professional road bicycle racer. Then you cycle inside the well-lit tunnel, exiting the tunnel the green paved cycle path continues and on the left side you pass by another wall which is part of the walls of the Punta dell'Acquabella nature reserve where there is another work by champion Alessandro Fantini on a bicycle and his portrait, then we move on to another mural with phrases from the famous song called "La donna cannone" by the Italian singer-songwriter Francesco De Gregori and finally the mural by Milo (the real name is the Apulian architect Francesco Camillo Giorgino) the street artist who drew red poppies giants on the walls of the cycle path. Continuing there are some very clean public toilets and outside there is also a fountain where I filled my water bottles.

The fourth stretch - Then I continued to cycle on the cycle path towards the north which was paved in green and blue, passing by a coastal lighthouse with spectacular panoramic views but unfortunately, the cycle path ends without having met any indication and that it would have been interrupted due to works. So I used my imagination and went back and to reach the town of Ortona I pedaled uphill on the Adriatica State Road 16 arriving from some point near the coatal town of Ortona and while I was stopped to drink some water a local person seeing my Italian-Canadian flag displayed on my bicycle panniers, he told me to go and visit the Canadian square, giving me directions and that I had then met him again at another point on the road and he had kindly stopped, telling me continue and you'll find it. Very kind person and thanks again!

The fourth stretch - Arrived at the Square of Canadian Heroes, in the shape of a maple leaf, symbol of Canada, a beautiful little square with Canadian, Italian and European flags fluttering under a blue sky and hosts a monument with writings, a tribute to remember the brave victims of the young Canadian soldiers who gave their lives during the Second World War against the Germans.

Nearby is the Aragonese Castle overlooks the Adriatic sea that I was the only outside then I continued pedaling until I reached the Port of Pescara where the Pescara river flows.

The fourth stretch -  There would have been a stretch to cover on the bridge and a cable-stayed cycle/pedestrian path over the river, a stretch that connects both banks of the river but it was closed. The Ponte del Mare in the city of Pescara is a splendid 466 meter long bridge and is the largest Italian cycle-pedestrian bridge and one of the largest in Europe. Since it was closed for construction, I admired its structure and I was sorry not to let the two wheels of my bicycle slide, it would have been nice!

After a few photographic shots of the bridge I continued to cycle along the river and then on another bridge taking me to the other bank of the river and then arriving on the coast following the Adriatic cycle path and after about 15 kilometers I had passed the Silvi area, also located in the 'Abruzzo.

The fourth stretch - Then, via a bridge on the road, I crossed the river Tronto, marking the border between the regions of Abbruzzo and Marche where I had found the sign indicating that from that point I would leave Abruzzo, entering the Marche and skirting the somewhat busy coast, perhaps because it was the rush hour everyone finished work and I arrived at the seaside towns of Cupra Mattima is situated on the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Marche.

I hadn't seen any indication for a campsite and in any case if there had been one it might have already been closed due to the low season like many others I had met and therefore through a local person he had recommended the Hotel Ristorante Anita which was located on the side of the main road in Cupra Marittima.

The last leg - After having settled in my room and after a shower I took a walk in the neighborhood and ended the evening having dinner at the hotel restaurant, with a good plate of spaghetti with clams and mussels and then going back to the room and after my evening routine I had looked at Google maps to get an idea of where in the Marche region I would reach tomorrow.

coming soon