an ancient Roman town in the heart of Italy

Città del Vasto
Vasto
an ancient Roman town
in the heart of Italy
European Blue Flag
Welcome to Vasto
Richard Norton Taylor - The Guardian UK
There are fewer and fewer places left around the European shores of the Mediterranean where you can bathe in safe, clean water by a quiet beach in front of orchards
and vineyards. Fewer still where such is the volume of traffic that you can pick up
your luggage at an international airport just minutes after you have landed.
Abruzzo, with mountains to the west, and the Adriatic in the east, is still an unspoilt
region of Italy. Unpretentious as well as unspoilt is Vasto, about an hour south of
the airport at Pescara. The old town overlooks a long sandy beach, a short walk
down the hill from the centre (you could catch bus number 4 on the way back) and
a clutch of low-rise hotels.
A little further up the coast, past the lighthouse at Punta Penna, is another, even
quieter, beach, by a nature reserve at Punta Aderci. Here, you can also see trabocchi,
curious wooden contraptions used by local fishermen to catch fish - mainly prawns
- without getting into the water.
Now you can walk around without hassle or bustle visiting the churches, the Palazzo d’Avalos, the town’s most imposing building overlooking the sea and seek
shade in its attractive Neapolitan-style garden.
Nearby is the cathedral of San Giuseppe.
Town Center
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Welcome to Vasto
d’Avalos Gardens
The centre is the Piazza Gabriele Rossetti, father of Christina and Dante Gabriel.
Gabriele was born in Vasto. His support for Italian nationalism made him a potential target of the ruling Bourbon Kingdom of the two Sicilies and under the protection of thee British navy he left Italy for Malta in 1821 before settling in London.
Among the permanent attractions is the delightful Teatro Rossetti, a venue for jazz
and classical concerts. “If you don’t like fish, don’t come to Vasto,” a guide from the
town’s department of culture told me.
Indeed, fish and shellfish - clams, octopus, mussels, prawns, squid, sole - and fish
soup, are the local delicacies served at lunch, either at Mimi’s, for example, or on the
beach. But there is other good local produce on the menu. There is nowhere better
to buy it than the Saturday covered market where you can choose from mounds of
different Pecarino cheeses from Abruzzo’s sheep and Ventricina - a salami spiced
with paprika.
Vasto’s hinterland includes the Museum of the Pig, billed as the world’s first swine
museum, at Carpineto Sinello.
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Summer
A summer season of events, initiatives, encounters, offering a rainbow billboard
for tourism, sport and culture. Apart from the velvet-soft beaches, the stunning
nature of Punta Aderci, the enchanting old town, the fascinating food and wine
on offer, there are also wide-ranging musical genres, the charm of dance, the
magic of the theatre, spotlights on literature, striking artworks on show, all to
satisfy the interests and curiosity of many visitors.
A fast-paced sequence of events will enhance the summer season. Take advantage
of these events to come and explore, and experience our town.
Vasto can boast one of the best Adriatic beaches. It has received both the Blue
Flag and Green Flag (with the Italian Association of Paediatricians) awards that
see us as one of the 25 top beaches for children.
Thanks to the hard work of the administration and the many tourism operators,
we can confirm the top quality of our services and the safety of the coast this year,
as it is in part monitored by CCTV to ensure appropriate assistance in the event
of need.
With the inauguration of the first section of cycle path, which will eventually be
one of the longest in Europe, and the opening of a multi-storey car park in the old
Punta Aderci Natural Reserve
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Summer
The “Golden Gulf”
town, we are achieving new goals for local eco-sustainable tourism.
Vasto is waiting for you, with its several opportunities thanks to its wonderful
beaches, surrounded by the Mediterranean scrub, able to amaze even the most
exigent guests.
Try to dive into the waters of Punta Aderci, one of the most important regional
wildlife reserves, or have a walk trough the unspoilt beaches of Libertini and
Punta Penna. Try to climb the rocks and coves, and discover the typical Trabocchi!
Vasto is the ideal place for who’s looking for a holiday rich of wild nature and
relax and besides, have fun and do sports activities like bike riding, horse-riding,
or trekking.
With its huge beach, Vasto offers an amazing nature trail which starts from
Mottagrossa beach and leads to the southern protected area of sand dunes in
Vasto Marina.
No one will resist its breath-taking views, the wonderful blue nuances of the sea
which dissolve into the green hills and the thin golden sand.
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Monumento alla Bagnante
Sea
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Sea
Walking in the nature
One of Vasto Marina’s facilities is a pedestrian and cycle path, located in its Nature
Reserve, in a section along Lungomare Duca degli Abruzzi (3.5km in the Reserve)
and another in the coastal biotope at San Salvo (2.6km), skirting the edges of the
best-preserved dune habitat in Abruzzo, alongside that of Vasto’s other reserve,
Punta Aderci. From the path it is possible to see typical retrodunal vegetation
comprising mainly rushes.
Along the pedestrian paths that lead to the sea, the visitor will encounter
other sequences of vegetation typical of the dunes: marram and agropyretum
mediterraneum, as well as cakiletum whose name derives from the presence of
cakile marittima or sea rocket, a dune pioneer plant.
The dune environment is home to rich birdlife and it is easy to see goldfinches,
greenfinches, serins, Sardinian warblers, stonechats, great tits, fan-tailed warblers
and, on the shore, Kentish plovers. There are also several ditches to observe, where
the most interesting presence is the green toad.
Make your holiday a perfect one by immersing yourself in any or all of these
activities: visit the nearby Tremiti islands, go inland to the mountain crests dotted
with fortresses, castles and the Italic temples of Schiavi. Explore the valleys that
lead you through history to the National Parks of Abruzzo and Majella, right to the
heart of the Region of the parks.
The cliff of Casarza
Casarza is in the heart of the System of Protected areas of the Teatina Coast, and
was conceived and established to protect the presence of 300 animal species, among
the approximately 800 species annotated in Abruzzo. The backbone of this area is
the former railway track that will allow access to the entire Chieti coast on foot or
by bike.
Casarza represents an important link in this wildlife and botanic “corridor.” We
can find a great number of bird species who pass the winter here: the Common
Sandpiper, Red Knots, Eurasian Curlews, the white, black and yellow Wagtails,
Cormorants, various species of seagulls, the Merganser, and various species of ducks
such as the Scaups and the Grebes.
Up in the sky you can watch the flight of prey birds such as common Kestrels
and common Buzzards, coming from the deep valley of the Anghella that slopes
down to the sea from the city of Vasto. In winter, the Cormorants can easily be
7
Sea
seen perching on the poles of the trabocchi which constitute another characteristic
aspect of the Vasto and Chieti coasts.
The most important botanic species are represented above all by the vegetation of
the sea cliffs such as the Sea Fennel and Myrtle, and high trunk trees such as the
Downy Oak. Endowed with a comfortable parking area, the Casarza Reef offers
a crystal-clear sea with wonderful bays, equipped with dockings for small fishing
boats. It is a tempting invitation to pursue the adventurous route towards south up
to Trave, where at low tide the remains of the Roman port of Histonium emerge
from the water.
San Nicola beach
The long beach of San Nicola opens out over natural pools and rocks, to form a
magical play of bays and stretches of beaches, alternately sandy, pebbled or covered
with soft sand.
This corner of uncontaminated nature is a stone’s throw away from luxuriant
expanses of the most brilliant greens sloping towards a crystal-clear sea.
San Nicola beach
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The Trabocco Vignola
Sunrise on the Gulf
Sea
Mirrors of Vasto
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Beach
The Vasto seashore has received the “Blue banner” mark, a recognition that rewards
the localities with the cleanest water and commitment of Local Councils to improve
eco-friendliness of their facilities and promote sustainable tourism.
An excellent opportunity to discover the Vasto coast in all its natural beauty is
offered by the old railway track which gives access to the San Nicola beach.
It can be easily reached on foot or by bike, on the discovery of numerous and
monumental wall works, the result of high engineering skills and excellent
workmanship in constructing channels, retaining walls, bridges, buttresses and
galleries.
It is a masterpiece of industrial archeology that upholds the Transhumance Paths
as environmental, anthropological and landscape values and as indirect outposts
for century-old principles of cultural and environmental protection. A few steps
from luxuriant gardens alternated with groves of reeds, torrents and deep valleys
sloping to the sea, the Vasto reef of Trave, Casarza and San Nicola up to Canale
and Vignola, is a magical play of bays, rocks and pebbles, a sequence of breathtaking
views punctuated by the “trabocchi,” the archaic fishing systems also described by
D’Annunzio, extending over the Adriatic Sea’s thousand shades of blue.
Trabocco “Cungarelle”
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Beach
The cliff of Casarza
The Coast of Trabocchi
The Abruzzo coast from Ortona to San Salvo is called the “Coast of the trabocchi”
exactly because the typical pile-dwellings used for net fishing are a stable part of the
landscape. In the locality of Canale, the beautiful beach set against the most intense
shades of green is delimited by two trabocchi.
On observing them, its seems as if they are about to collapse into the sea at any
moment, opening out on the rocks with their platforms or nets fastened to long
arms and outriggers that allow you, without using any boats, to reach the deeper
waters teeming with fish.
These are very old and fragile structures that, however, have resisted the weather
conditions through the decades, like silent watch-towers of the sea.
Still today the trabocchi exhude a very peculiar charm, one belonging to the past.
Their eccentric architecture enlightens our imagination and stimulates curiosity.
Centuries of events and vicissitudes of fishermen narrate about their pontoons
where entire families spent more time than in their actual homes.
The trabocco today, besides being a symbol and synthesis of the traditions and life
of a whole population, has become also a resource for the development of cultural
tourism.
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Natural Reserve
The Natural Reserve
Punta Aderci Regional Nature Reserve safeguards one of the most beautiful and
interesting coasts in Abruzzo: a succession of sandy beaches and shingles, high reefs
and cliffs, of farm landscapes and maquis shrubland, with the blue and green shades
of a very enchanting stretch of the Adriatic coast.
The reserve stretches out on the seaside of Punta Penna, adjacent to the Port of Vasto,
at the mouth of the Sinello River. Punta Aderci is the main feature characterizing
the entire area, embracing the park and the sea beds below, offering an all-around
view of the entire Reserve, where fiery sunsets often highlight the mountain profiles
of the three national parks: the la Majella, the Gran Sasso-Laga and the Monti
Sibillini. The scenery is quite extensive with tracts of plains cut by cliffs a sheer drop
into the seashore, slopes descending to the sea, dune systems, humid areas such as
the Mottagrossa pool and the alluvial plain the Sinello River.
Along the sandy or rocky beaches, groups of plants resistant to brackish water, heat
or wind grow accordingly, and from the water’s edge to the interior areas pioneering
plants take root first- such as the Maritime Cakile followed by species of the mobile
dunes like the Bermuda grass of the beaches and finally those of the fixed dunes, up
to the appearance of shrubs and the maquis shrubland.
Among the dune barriers, the water stagnates also thanks to the presence of clays,
thus favoring the growth of strips of cane.
The dunes and the river environment are ideal for naturalistic observation and
birdwatching. Here many species of birds pass the winter, such as Herons, Grebes,
Sternas, great Cormorants, the western Marsh Harrier and the Kentish plover. Not
surprisingly, the Kentish plover is depicted in the logo of the reserve. Internally,
towards the cropped plains, we can find the Crested Lark, the Woodchat shrike, the
Chiffchaff and prey birds such as the Montagu’s harrier, the common Kestrel and
the common Buzzard.
Punta Penna beach
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Natural Reserve
Punta Aderci
Punta Aderci - 3rd Beautiest Beach of Italy
Punta Aderci is a reserve to be discovered with ease, on foot or on a mountain-bike
tracing the old railway track, in a canoe or simply enjoying the calm of the pebbled
beaches of Libertini or on the small beach of Punta Aderci, where in the distance
Stenella dolphins can be observed, and in some caves one may admire the l’Halymenia
floresia, considered the most beautiful red seaweed of the Mediterranean
From the pebbled beach of Mottagrossa up to the mouth of the Sinello River, this
is one of the most beautiful, wild and isolated tracts of the Adriatic coast appear.
Overlooking Mottagrossa beach, we cross a high panoramic path (about 20 m above
sea level) of around 3 km to be traced on foot or by bike, on the discovery of marine
pine-woods, deep valleys and wide tracts of maquis shrubland. A unique landscape
in all of the Adriatic, with vegetable essences typical of the Mediterranean such
as the myrtle, the sea lily, the esparto grass, the beach dwarf broom and the dune
poppy. The reserve ends at the Sinello River delta, a little beyond the characteristic
brick arcades once delimiting the old railway track.
A unique opportunity to discover the Vasto coast in all its natural beauty is offered
by this track alone which can be easily passed on foot or by bike, to see not only
uncontaminated nature but also the wall handiworks, sometimes monumental
ones, result of the high engineering skills and mastery of the workers who built the
channels, retaining walls, bridges, buttresses.
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Natural Reserve
Punta Penna
Punta Penna is situated on a crown of enormous
The lighthouse of Punta Penna
rocks that rises vertically on the sea. Stretched
out in the middle Adriatic like a spur, it is one
of the most beautiful expanses of the 18 km
seashore Vasto can be proud of.
Punta Penna delimits with a surface of around
2 sq. km the most southern area of the Reserve
of Punta Aderci, descending gently down to
the railway station of Vasto Port. Up high,
overlooking the port is the lighthouse with the
same name. Just north to the port, you reach
the wonderful dune beach of Punta Penna, a
superb beach with soft golden sand, among
the few areas of the Abruzzo seashore that has
kept its wild aspect. Punta Penna is the reserve
zone of great naturalistic interest. The Dunes
are dotted by very rare plants and populated
with animals such as the yellow-legged gull, the little gull and the Kentish plover.
The sea is turquoise blue, crystal clear and transparent, with sandy and sloping sea
beds, ideal for swimming and aquatic sport activities.
Motta Grossa
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History
Town Center
Vasto is a treasure chest, surrounded by the walls of a enchanting old citycenter
which overlooks the Adriatic Sea. It is full of art and culture to be discovered, and
it has an historical heritage rich of sacredness and witness of big names. You can
only be enchanted by visiting the old buildings among the romantic and fascinating
Loggia Ambling, one of the most beautiful scenic walks of Abruzzo, which leads
from Palazzo d’Avalos, historic residence of the marquis regent of the city, to the
Caldoresco Castle and the Bassano tower, architectural masterpieces you shouldn’t
miss out.
Arts
The Archaeological Museum, the Art Gallery, the Rossetti Theater, the Gallery
of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Folk Costume, together with the artistic
exhibition “Premio Vasto”, will lead you on a journey through archeology and contemporary art. In Vasto there is no lack of places of worship, there are about 26
churches, cathedrals and chapels; the most important are the S. Joseph Cathedral
overlooking the main square and the church of S. Maria Maggiore, which safeguards, among its huge aisles, the precious Holy Thorn.
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History
Archeological promenade - Via Adriatica
Vasto can be found on the southern coast of Abruzzo. It is considered one of the
oldest towns in the Frentano area as a legend decrees it was built by Diomedes, who
arrived here at the head of the Illyrians, and named the settlement “Histon.”
Originally it was inhabited by tribes from Dalmatia, then by the Etruscans, who
were succeeded by the Siracusa tribe, the Samnites and the Romans. In about the
fifth century BC, Histon was occupied by the Frentano tribe who added the original port at Punta Penna.
Many Oscan inscriptions and amphorae recently recovered in the gulf of Vasto
testify to the existence of maritime trade and the town’s importance in the territory.
After the Social War (91-88 BC), Histon became Histonium and was elevated to
the rank of a Roman municipium. During the Imperial period the town was not
spared from barbarian invasions, followed by a dark period in which even the name
was lost.
A Frankish conqueror, Aymone, built a fortified village on the ruins of ancient Histonium and called it Guast d’Aymone.
After the Angevin period, which left extensive traces in the local dialect, Vasto was
assigned to the d’Avalos, a family of Spanish origin, who brought the pomp of the
Spanish court and built the magnificent Palazzo d’Avalos. For its beauty Vasto was
known as the Athens of the Abruzzi.
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St Peter’s gate
Palazzo d’Avalos
San Michele Arcangelo
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Piazza Rossetti
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Resti della Chiesa di San Pietro
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Parco archeologico delle Terme romane
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Loggia Amblingh
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Torre di Bassano
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Torretta Santo Spirito
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Torretta D’Amante
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Porta Nuova
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Passeggiata archeologica
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Porta Catena
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Castello Caldoresco
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Palazzo d’Avalos e Giardino Napoletano
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Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore
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Chiesa del Carmine
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Cattedrale di San Giuseppe
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Chiesa dell’Addolorata
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Chiesa di Sant’Antonio
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Monumento all’Emigrante
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Musei Civici di Palazzo d’Avalos
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Arena alle Grazie
Teatro Rossetti
Beata Beatrix
Toson d’Oro
Notte Bianca
History
Palazzo d’Avalos, built by the Turks in the 1500s, was quickly rebuilt in a Renaissance style and was also the home of Vittoria Colonna, a friend of Michelangelo.
The high town retains many relics of its past, like the remains of Augustan villas and
traces of the medieval settlement.
In Roman times the capitol stood near what later became the church of San Pietro.
Stunning Palazzo della Penna dates back to the 1600s and stands in the square of
the same name.
This site has brought to light the famous bronze tablet with Oscan inscriptions of
the names of two Frentano censors, as well as remains of walls, temples, columns,
funerary urns and coins. Famous people born in the Vasto include Lucius Valerius
Pudens and Gabriele Rossetti.
The town’s patron saint is Michael the Archangel, invoked by the people of Vasto in
the bleak mid-1600s, when earthquakes and plagues decimated entire populations.
View from Palazzo d’Avalos
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Monuments
St. Antony’s church
The d’Avalos Palace
The d’Avalos Palace towers above the Vasto seashore from the hill on which the
village is perched. The old residence of the prestigious d’Avalos family is one of the
most significant examples of Renaissance architecture in Abruzzo. The Palace was
built on the remains of a 14th century building, of which several decorative details
are kept: an evidence of this is the wonderful double lancet windows recently discovered in the perimeter wall overlooking the adjacent garden.
After the Anjou’s period, in 1427 the Palace was enlarged and decorated by Giacomo Caldora, the lord of the city at the time, who then passed it to the d’Avalos,
a noble family of Spanish origins who ruled the city uninterruptedly from 1496
to 1798. Once they consolidated their domain, the d’Avalos, wishing to transform
their residence, endowed it with the magnificence of Iberian courts.
The Palace was briefly also the home of Vittoria Colonna, one of the most illustrious and cultured women of the Renaissance, wife of Francesco Ferrante d’Avalos,
as well as friend and confidant of Michelangelo Buonarroti, with whom she was
linked by a deep intellectual affinity.
The Neapolitan Garden is part of the palace and is reached through the entrance
yard, opening out over the sea. After a recent restoration, it regained its original late
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Monuments
18th century architectonical layout. Today as in the past, among the hedges of box
bushes and roses, it is the reign of orange trees, and bushes of lavender, rosemary,
sage, American creepers, jasmine, geraniums, bougainvillas and climbing roses. This
green area is in the shape of a cross through which little perpendicular pathways
run, covered by a bower, a model common to many Neapolitan gardens and cloisters
of the Baroque age. You can reach the panoramic terrace after passing through the
pathway that runs alongside the palace set in the midst of plants, headstones and
various archaeological artworks. The archaeological section hosts statues of women,
Afrodite’s heads, Eros, Zeus and Sileno, besides a series of small bronze statues, all
representing Eracle. With the death of Cesare Michelangelo d’Avalos in 1729, the
progeny preferred to stay permanently in the court of Naples, thus the decadence of
the complex was inevitable.
Today the palace hosts the Art Gallery and the Civic Museums in which an interesting numismatic collection is kept.
The Castle
The history of the castle is strictly connected to Giacomo Caldora, the mercenary
leader who, after seizing the city in 1439, had it fortified with the renovation of
the walls and the upgrading of the city’s fortifications with a new defense system.
The Castle
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Monuments
Rossetti square
The fort was established on a previous building which in turn, laid its foundation
on walls constituting the northern entrance of the Histonium Roman amphitheatre still visible from the cellars of the palace. The original building probably had a
rectangular plan, as the present one, but smaller, with four cylindrical towers on the
corners and another bigger tower in the centre of the yard. In 1439 the fortification
was achieved and reinforcement was done with big angular bastions and thicker
walls. On the western side of the urban perimeter that includes also the castle, one
can observe today how the city’s wall defense system is integrated by the towers of
Bassano, Santo Spirito and Diomede del Moro, altered in their 15th century layout
by the further addition of other stories.
Following the destructions that the Vasto population underwent during the
15th century riots, the castle was strongly reconstructed at the end of the same
century by Innico d’Avalos, who takes credit for many of the interventions that gave
the building its present status: he had the four bastions built, as well as the ditches
and northern tower.
The restoration done by the d’Avalos, though a crude one, retained the primitive
architectonical lines, thus giving the building a certain continuity until 1816, a date
that will be remembered as the start of an inexorable overturning of the entire
building. New constructions of a totally different styles, were gradually annexed to
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Monuments
the structure which finally made the western side unrecognizable. Today the fortification looks like a “palimpsest” monument, with Aragonese bastions surrounding
the previous nucleus and with annexes and high rising external structures which
started in the 18th century. The structure was gradually deprived of its purpose,
hence of its military aspect, adapting it to new residential functions.
Museums of Palazzo d’Avalos
The Civic Museums of the City of Vasto are hosted in the wide halls of the d’Avalos
Palace, the Neapolitan garden of which opens out to the view of the fantastic landscape of the Vasto gulf. As Luigi Marchesani so greatly wished, the Archaeological
Museum opened in 1849. It is the Archaeological Museum is the oldest public
Museum in Abruzzo, as well as one of the most important. The materials represent
a complex of homogeneous and chronologically stratified evidences of the history
of the old city of Histonium and its territory from the Iron Age to the early Middle
Ages. There are also sarcophagi, sculptures, jewels, amphorae, coins (coined between
the 3rd and 5th centuries A.C.), besides a wonderful mosaic floor coming from the
ancient thermal baths of Histonium dating back to the 1st century A.D. portraying
fish, sea monsters and floral patterns.
Palazzo d’Avalos
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Monuments
Among the precious artworks of note are the valuable funeral dowries of the several
tombs excavated in 1912-1914 in the necropolis along the Tratturo, datable between
the 6th and 3rd Centuries B.C., and the two little bronze plates with inscriptions
in Oscan language, coming from the Frentani sanctuary in the nearby site of Punta
Penna. Also particularly interesting are the very rich epigraphic collections containing funeral epigraphs, at times with peculiar and curious texts carefully explained,
big monumental epigraphs testifying to important public works, a monumental
double sarcophagus for P. Paquio Sceva and his wife Flavia, and a milestone of the
late archaic period from Punta Penna, relating to the Roman road running tracing
the Adriatic seashore. The Art Gallery contains a sector dedicated to contemporary painting and in particular to that of the 19th century, where one can admire
works of important Vasto artists such as the Palizzi brothers, leading figures of the
19th-century Neapolitan school, Valerico Laccetti, Gabriele Smargiassi and Giulio
Cesare de Litiis, and other Abruzzo painters such as Francesco Paolo Michetti and
Giulio Aristide Santoro. The Gallery of Modern Art was created instead as the
natural extension of the exhibition called “Mediterranea,” which in 2002 unveiled
to the public the works given by the Paglione partners to the Municipality of Vasto.
Palazzo d’Avalos Gardens
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Monuments
The Amblingh verandah
The Costume Museum contains a collection of paintings portraying traditional costumes and precious Abruzzo clothes dating back from the beginning of the 19th
century to the beginning of the 20th century.
Rossetti’s Family
The home of the poet and patriot Gabriele Rossetti rises on a first plan dating
back to the 15th century and it was declared a national monument in 1924. After
the war invasion it became the historical seat of the Municipal Library. Born in
Vasto in 1783, Gabriele Rossetti made his debut as a passionate poet, imbued with
political fervor and civil commitments, so as to earn for himself the epithet of the
“Tyrtaeus of Italy”. Later he dedicated himself to sacred poetry and was the author
of some literary critic works on Dante and the Divine Comedy from an anti-clerical
standpoint. Because of his support to the rebels of the liberal riots in 1820, he was
forced into exile. Progenitor of a glorious family, Rossetti handed over the history
of art and English literature to all of his four children: Maria Francesca, poetess
and essayist, William Michael, who translated Dante’s Inferno into English, Dante
Gabriel, founder of the literary and artistic movement of the Pre-Raphaelites, and
Christina, among the greatest poetesses of the United Kingdom.
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Monuments
The first library reserve that the Library acquired were about 200 volumes of Federico Bucci and of the heirs of the former mayor, Pietro Muzii. The biggest donation was from the Monastery of Sant’Onofrio in 1899, of about 800 volumes. In
1883 William Michael Rossetti gave the library the so-called “Rossetti’s Reserve”,
including works and letters. Moreover, Rossetti’s house conserves the “Spataro legacy”, made up of 68 editions of the 1700s. Rossetti Square is the throbbing heart of
the old city. It is here, in the presence of the grim statue of the exiled poet, Gabriele
Rossetti, absorbed in his reading, that one can breathe the authentic atmosphere of
Vasto. The monument is a work of the sculptor, Filippo Cifariello, and pays homage
to the poet from Vasto exiled to Great Britain to escape the death sentence for his
active participation in the Carbonari uprisings in 1820-1821.
The square has kept in its peculiar ellipsoidal plan, a clear trace of the existence of
one of the oldest monuments in the city, the Naumachia amphitheatre, still visible
in the 17th century and partially enclosed by the medieval walls. Accessible levels of
the building are at present buried at a depth of over five metres. Some parts of the
ellipse inserted in the block adjacent to the eastern side of the square are still visible,
closed on the south-east by the slender Bassano Tower which bears the Aragonese
and Vasto municipality’s coats of arms. The tower traces back to 1427 while the
corbelled top, to 1713. The 17th century church of San Francesco da Paola can be
admired on the western side of the square.
Rossetti square
28
Monuments
The Amblingh Verandah
The Amblingh Verandah opens out on the eastern promenade alongside the old
district, starting from the gardens of the d’Avalos Palace. It is a wonderful balcony
suspended vertically among the bricks full of the city’s history, looking out over the
groves of olives, orange trees and orchards descending to the sea below. From here,
in one glimpse, one can admire the wonderful golden gulf of Vasto, the hills of the
Molise nearby, the layers of the Gargano Mountain and the Tremiti Islands.
The lodge takes its name after the Austrian Guglielmo Amblingh from Graz, secretary of Cesare Michelangelo d’Avalos, who lived in Vasto at the beginning of the
18th century. For years, the high houses and the narrow alleys around the Lodge
hosted fishermen, porters, marquis squire descendants or of horse guardians, committed in coastal reconnaissance watching out for Turkish ships: this is in the district of Santa Maria which is a good representative of the popular spirit of Vasto.
Continuing along the promenade, we reach high house of Gabriele Rossetti, seat
of one of the Municipal Libraries. Further on around the walls-house of the Amblingh Verandah, we can find the only urban medieval gate left in the city, Porta
Santa Maria, also called “Porta Catena”, with a lancet arch surmounted by a lovely
little lodge (loggetta). On the southern top, on the highest point of the Lodge, two
big Roman cisterns can be found still undamaged.
Porta Catena
29
Food & Wine
Sailor tradizions
Overlooking the crystal clear Adriatic waters, protected by a belt of Apennines,
Vasto has always been considered one of the most fascinating cities in central Italy.
Loved and appreciated for its ancient history dating back to the hero Diomedes,
admired for its natural beauty, Vasto is a unique city where tradition and modernity
meet. In Vasto you can have fun on the beach, swim and do sports in the wildlife
reserve, or have a walk and do shopping in the narrow streets of the citycenter. On
the other hand, after the sunset you can enjoy several typical seafood dishes, based
on old recipes like “Brodetto di pesce alla vastese”, in one of the many restaurants
overlooking the sea, or lose yourself in the music of its nightclubs and the hospitality of the local people. Vasto is all of this, all the holidays you want!
Brodetto alla Vastese is the poor folks’ fish dish, a standard recipe prepared on board
Vasto’s fishing boats. The fishermen sold the best of their catch and made themselves a chowder with the damaged fish trapped in the nets and which could not be
sold. Initially the dish was almost white, with just a few – usually fresh – tomatoes,
but over time the brodetto has evolved into one of the most delicious and popular
dishes served along the Chieti coast. For “brodetto alla vastese”, called “lu vrudatte”
in dialect, the crucial requirements are a terracotta saucepan (“tijelle di coccio”), as
well as oil from the Vasto hills and hot chilli peppers.
Traditionally the fish – several different types – must be freshly caught, between
Ortona and Vasto. Skate, red mullet, baby cuttlefish, snapper and giant goby, are
cooked in garlic, peppers and fresh diced tomatoes.
Trabocco
30
Food & Wine
A delicacy for gourmets, able to win the palate of everyone who approaches to our
seafood cuisine: a must-try dish, in particular in June during “the month of Brodetto”, without neglecting other traditional meat and fish delicacies.
The unmistakable fragrance of wine and oil will go hand in hand with your holiday,
to guide you among our hills, whose products have the best quality such as artichokes and peaches and a protected origin such as the delicious Ventricina.
Come and discover the old flavours of our land! Our best chefs will surely win your
palate with their traditional cooking, paying their attention to highly innovative
gastronomic trends.
Wines from Vasto
As you enjoy the panorama of our hills, midway between the sea and the mountains,
sun kissed and cradled by a Mediterranean breeze from the blue Adriatic, you will
be enchanted by the colours and scents of the flourishing vineyards that roll across
a perfect setting, caressed by the sea air. Each bottle of our wine will unfold the aromas of this territory: prepare for a journey of all your senses, a pleasure experience
that will cast its spell on you.
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOC (controlled designation of origin) is one of the
Brodetto alla Vastese
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Sea
Sunset
Via Adriatica
Vignola
32
Food & Wine
most prestigious red wines at national level. The success this wine is experiencing
is certainly due to good underlying quality, but our wineries continue their quest to
improve the standard of this outright local gem.
Il Trebbiano d’Abruzzo
The wine has various nuances that make it versatile and attractive, with its strawyellow colour; pleasant, heady aroma and delicate scent. The harmonious palate
tends to range from smooth to zesty and dry; prestigious reviews have indicated
Trebbiano as one of the world’s best white wines.
Il Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo
Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo DOC is a Montepulciano rosé, with a pleasing aroma that is
delicate and fruity. The dry palate is soft and balanced, but always delicate and with
a light almond finish. Cerasuolo is a fresh, lively, light wine, and perfect for new
trends and preferences among younger drinkers.
Red, white or rosé … it’s your choice!
Authentic wines from Vasto, to be sure of what you drink
Extravergin Olive Oil
Olive oil is the acknowledged star of local cuisine. For instance, drizzle over bruschetta
with tomato and oregano, or over a fresh salad, and better still over a slice of plain bread
from a loaf straight out of a wood-burning oven. Discover the authentic flavours of a
region dedicated to plain, healthy food, packed with genuine taste.
Vasto ventricina
Rarely does a territory have such a
strong link with a product as that
binding the Alto Vastese district with
its ventricina, a prized, unique product made with prime pork cuts. This
quality cured meat is free of chemical
additives and is a leading item on the
Italian charcuterie panorama. It can
be sampled in all production areas, to
savour its typical fragrance.
Salt, finely chopped mild or hot pepper, and fennel seed are ingredients
that blend in with quality pork, finely chopped by hand using only the
knife tip.
33
Informations
Book now Your Special Offers on
www.vastogolfodoro.it
Summer Events
June Fish Soup Festival
July Notte Bianca - White Night
July International Music Festival
August Beach Volley Tour
August Toson d’Oro - Historical Event
August
Notte Rosa - Pink Night
August
Ferragosto - Fireworks
August Vasto Film Festival
Two hours flight from London - Frankfurt - Barcelona - Paris
34
Informations
32 Hotels
3 Resorts
30 B&B
6 Campings
7 Farm Holidays
One hour from
Tremiti Islands
Slow Food
30 Restaurants
23 Pizzerias
One hour from
the Apennines
and the Abruzzo
National Parks
Sports and leisure
Aqualand park
Windsurfing
Horse-riding
Canoeing
Bowling
Romantic
places
Entertainments
5 Discos
5 Cinemas
15 Pubs
The coast
of trabocchi
Vasto, 45-minute drive south of the Pescara Airport, and three hours east of Rome, guests will enjoy the
many beaches, the fine food and wine, and much more at a pace you will soon re-discover: slow, yet with all
the comforts, style and taste you’ve come to love in Italy.
Venice
Bologne
Pescara
60
Florence
Pescara
VASTO
240K
m
m
Rome
Naples
Km
Rome
35
0K
Milan
20
Turin
Naples
VASTO
Welcome to Vasto
www.comune.vasto.ch.it
cultura@comune.vasto.ch.it
Tel. +39 0873 309225 / 3091
36

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