Along the crystal clear Adriatic in the province of Chieti, waves crash onto a peculiar, wild, and fascinating segment of Abruzzo known as the Trabocchi Coast, which starts in the characteristic seaside village of Ortona and runs through San Vito Chietino and Fossacesia until it reaches Vasto and the marvelous Natural Reserve of Punta Aderci.

But it isn’t the mighty Aragonese castle of the former, nor the quiet grasslands of the latter, that are most emblematic of the shoreline. Rather, it’s trabocchi that give this part of Abruzzo its character–and its name.   Tim Burton-esque, spidery, peculiar, these ancient fishing machines extend over the sea, inching off the 54-kilometer stretch of coastline.