Trabocchi Coast to the Molise and Abruzzo mountains
Fishing platforms on stilts along the Adriatic, then up into Molise for Samnite ruins and a bell foundry, ending in bear country in the Abruzzo National Park.
- Distance
- 246 km (153 mi)
- Driving
- 3 h 24 min
- Suggested days
- 5
- Stops
- 9
- Countries
- Italy
- Updated
- September 13, 2026
At a glance: 5-day road trip of about 246 km (153 mi) with 9 stops, from Pescara to Pescasseroli. About 3 h 24 min of driving in total.
Route description
South of Pescara and Ortona, the SS16 runs along the Costa dei Trabocchi, where wooden fishing platforms reach out from the rocks. The old coastal railway is now a cycle path, the Via Verde, with easy access to the coves and to the Trabocco Turchino.
Stop at the abbey of San Giovanni in Venere above Fossacesia, then walk the clifftop at Punta Aderci before the old town of Vasto. Across the Molise border, Termoli has a walled village on a promontory and ferries to the Tremiti Islands.
Turn inland up the Trigno valley to Agnone, where one of the oldest family firms in the world still casts church bells, and on to the Samnite theatre at Pietrabbondante. These are lonely hill roads, often winding, with few fuel stations.
Via Castel di Sangro, the road climbs into the Abruzzo National Park to Lago di Barrea and Pescasseroli, the park’s main village. Marsican brown bears live in these woods; follow the park’s rules and never feed wildlife. In winter, snow tyres or chains are required on the park’s roads.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Pescara
Italy - 233 km
Trabocco Turchino
HistorySan Vito Chietino, ItalyA wooden fishing platform on stilts off a rocky point, the classic image of the Trabocchi coast. The cycle path on the old coastal railway passes right by.
- 37 km
San Giovanni in Venere abbey
HistoryFossacesia, ItalyA Romanesque abbey church on a hill above the sea, with a carved portal and a crypt of old frescoes. The terrace looks down on the whole Trabocchi coast.
- 422 km
Punta Aderci reserve
NatureVasto, ItalyA headland of clay cliffs and wild beaches north of Vasto. Walk out to the point for the view along the coast; in summer part of the car park is paid.
- 540 km
Termoli
Italy - 669 km
Agnone
Italy - 711 km
Samnite theatre of Pietrabbondante
HistoryPietrabbondante, ItalyThe theatre and temple of the Samnites, Rome’s mountain enemies, on a green slope at almost 1,000 m. The seats have backrests carved from the stone.
- 844 km
Lago di Barrea
NatureBarrea, ItalyA lake in the heart of the Abruzzo National Park, framed by the villages of Barrea and Villetta Barrea. Early mornings bring deer, and with luck a glimpse of a wolf.
- 920 km
Pescasseroli
Italy
