Vasto's wild headland is the gateway to the Trabocchi Coast: clay cliffs, broom, the pebble beach of Punta Penna commanded by one of Italy's tallest lighthouses (70 metres), and the trabocchi — stilted fishing machines — stretching their arms into the Adriatic. A regional reserve since 1998, it is swimmable nature: you bathe beneath the point in water that tastes of freedom.
The Via Verde cycle path, on the old coastal railway, crosses it: pedalling here is the new Abruzzese tradition.
Our tip: sunset from the point overlooking the Punta Aderci trabocco: bring something to drink and stay until the lighthouse blinks on. In season, dinner on a trabocco along the coast: book well ahead.