Trigno Sinello Natura. English
The Abruzzo region, with one third of its territory occupied by parks, is the widest naturalistic area in Europe, the real green heart of the Mediterranean. Trying to summarize the features of the coastal and inland Vastese territory, one could describe it as an anthology of Euro-Mediterranean landscape, since in here there is a great variety of natural and human environments that it is impossible to find in other such restricted areas.
The southern part of Costa dei Trabocchi presents various habitats: sandy shore with dunes, marsh, pinewood, coastal maquis, cliff, stacks, rocky lower coastlines. The hilly area offers humid precious zones, fluvial oasis and clayey formations with gypsum, such as the famous Lentella Gypsum, that host vegetable species not so common elsewhere in the region.
The hilly and mountain area, naturalistically untouched, with Mount Sorbo dominating the Treste and Sinello River valleys with its 1000 meters, offers the most various environments, from forests to grasslands.
While observing the coast from above, one can perceived that the coastal stripe vanishes towards the inland leaving place to a gentle and undulating agricultural landscape, made of rounded hills, cherished by an agelong agricultural tilling. On the background, the mountain ridge flows parallel to the coast. Due to this particular geographic formation, the territory is furrowed by wide valley and rivers perpendicularly placed as to the sea and the mounts, almost creating a comb. The main rivers have been declared as Communitarian Interest Sites thanks to the presence of different biodiversity levels, besides being important areas for birds stopovers along the migratory route of the Adriatic seashore.
Rare botanical species live in this surprising environment variety, uncontaminated and often wild, which Natural Reserve jealously protect. In the northern coast, the Punta Aderci Reserve, which stretches for about 285 hectares, safeguards the territory included between Punta Penna and the Sinello River mouth. This area, with wide dune habitat tracts, offers amazing opportunities for birdwatching and biking lovers. Many species of birds such as herons, grebes, cormorants and Kentish plovers, symbol of the Reserve, pass the winter here.
The entire Vastese coast presents marvelous sceneries and limpid waters among the high cliffs, rocks, coves and extended fine sand beaches. The Marina di Vasto Reserve safeguards the dune environment of the southern coast up to Marina di San Salvo, where the cycle lane reaches the coastal biotope of the Mediterranean Botanical Garden. Proceeding along the Sinello River, in the area of Pollutri, we find the Bosco di Don Venanzio Reserve, one of the last plain forest strip in the Adriatic coast. Entering towards the inland, close to Fraine, one can admire the Vicenne Wood, a natural environment of enchanting beauty, to be explored through its beaten tracks or trekking routes. The Abetina di Selva Grande, in Castiglione Messer Marino, is a reserve where among wide conifer woods, and especially silver fir woods, it is possible to observe wildcats, deers, roes and wolfs.
Riserva Naturale Regionale Marina di Vasto
Riconosciuto come Sito di Interesse Comunitario (SIC), questo biotopo costiero si estende per circa 60 ettari presso la Marina di Vasto, parallelo alla statale Adriatica e termina in territorio di San Salvo con il Giardino Botanico Mediterraneo, appena oltre il torrente Buonanotte. Percorrendo la pista ciclopedonale compresa tra il lungomare Duca degli Abruzzi e la marina di San Salvo, è possibile apprezzare uno degli ambienti dunali meglio conservati della costa adriatica, con la tipica successione vegetazionale che dalle piante più esposte alla salsedine marina, quali la Cakile marittima (ruchetta di mare), sfuma nei cordoni consolidati da Elytrigia juncea (agropiro) e Ammophila littoralis. Sentieri attrezzati percorrono i vari settori dell'area protetta: l'ambiente retrodunale è interessante per il notevole sviluppo delle praterie umide dove fioriscono la camomilla di mare e il giglio delle sabbie. Qui nidifica il fratino, piccolo uccello della duna. Facilmente osservabili sono anche il cardellino, il verdone, il verzellino, il saltimpalo e il beccamoschino. Le depressioni umide retrodunali sono assiduamente frequentate da uccelli di passo, rappresentati da varie specie di aironi, quali il cinerino, l'airone rosso e l'airone bianco maggiore. Questo è anche l'habitat tradizionale del rospo smeraldino e della testuggine palustre.
Recognised as a Site of Communitarian Interest (SIC) this coastal biotope stretches out for about 60 hectares in the Marina of Vasto, running parallel to the Adriatic highway and ending with the Mediterranean Botanical Garden, in the San Salvo territory just beyond the Buonanotte stream. By taking the cycle and pedestrian lane existing between the Duca degli Abruzzi seafront and the Marina of San Salvo, one can admire the best maintained dune environment of the Adriatic coast, with a succession of typical vegetation starting from the plants that are most exposed to brackish water such as the Cakile Marittima (the sea rocket), slowly fading into the consolidated barriers of the Sand Couch Grass (agropyron crystatum) and the sand binding Marram grass. Well-equipped trails run through the various protected area's sectors: the humid environment behind the dunes is interesting due to the exceptional development of the humid prairies where the sea chamomiles bloom along with the sand lilies. The Kentish plover, a small bird of the dunes nestles here. Also other birds such us the goldfinch, greenfinch, serin, whinchat, and passerine warbler can easily be spotted. The humid depressions behind the dunes are greatly frequented by birds of passage, represented by various species of herons such as the heron cinerino, the red heron and major white heron. This is also the traditional habitat of the emerald toad and marsh turtles.