Territori Sociologici | Urbanization and Tourism on the Abruzzo Coast: The Green Adriatic Corridor

Urbanization and Tourism on the Abruzzo Coast: The Green Adriatic Corridor

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Alba Adriatica (1) - The Green Adriatic Corridor is a single bicycle path, running from Martinsicuro to San Salvo, and is part of a major regional project. Alba Adriatica is linked with Villa Rosa by a handsome foot and bicycle bridge made entirely of laminated wood that spans the Vibrata River.

Alba Adriatica (1)
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Alba Adriatica (2) - Alba Adriatica has an attractive and spacious bicycle path that was built thirty years ago, making it one of the earliest bicycle paths on the Abruzzo Coast.

Alba Adriatica (2)
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Tortoreto - Riding along the path in Alba Adriatica, cyclists reach Tortoreto almost seamlessly, as the two municipalities blend into each other to form virtually a single town. Here, too, the bicycle path is attractive, spacious and functional. The waterfront, along which the bicycle path is located, is a three–kilometer greenbelt: palm trees, Mediterranean pines and the gardens of many Art Nouveau villas create very pleasing views.

Tortoreto
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Giulianova - In Giulianova, a brand new bicycle path and adjoining pedestrian mall (inaugurated in April 2006) run along the beach. The newest section of the bicycle path ends at the Giulianova waterfront, where cyclists and pedestrians are forced to share the sidewalk, creating an unsafe situation..

Giulianova
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Cologna - After crossing the bridge, before reaching Cologna Spiaggia, cyclists have to negotiate a gorgeous but very challenging stretch of undeveloped beach. It is the Borsacchio nature preserve.

Cologna
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Roseto - This section of the path is isolated, lacking a connection both with Cologna to the North and Scerne di Pineto to the South.

Roseto
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Scerne di Pineto - This section of the path is completely cut off, both from the North, with no bridge on the Vomano River, and the South. However, Scerne’s bicycle path is well maintained. Its only drawback, in addition to being cut off, is the lack of separation between pedestrians and cyclists

Scerne di Pineto
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Pineto - The northern section of Pineto, which is home to several camping sites, does not have a bicycle path, but it has a quiet road with little traffic that leads to the campsites. This section of the town is followed by the “Catucci Pine Grove”.

Pineto
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Pescara - The riverside portion of the bicycle path in Pescara

Pescara
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Francavilla - The continuously level section of the Green Adriatic Corridor ends at Francavilla’s waterfront. Further South, the coastline become more steep with frequent changes in elevation.

Francavilla
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San Vito - Environmentalist associations are recommending the use of the tracks of an old railroad that is being decommissioned, to create a highly picturesque route along the Trabocchi Coast, between Ortona and Vasto.

San Vito
The Green Adriatic Corridor is a single bicycle path, running from Martinsicuro to San Salvo, which is part of a major regional project and, as such, is included in Branch No. 6 of Bicitalia, an extensive national network of bicycle paths proposed by the Italian Federation of Bicycle Enthusiasts (FIAB) that will stretch from the Emilia Romagna region to the Puglia region. In addition to the remarkable length of the bicycle path (over one thousand km, the longest in Italy), what makes this infrastructure unique is the fact that it includes environmental development projects along its route. For example, in the segment that runs in the Province of Teramo, river theme parks extending toward the interior with bicycle paths, hiking trails and bridle paths will be established at all of the rivers crossed by the bicycle path. These parks will make it possible to enjoy and discover areas in the interior that are still not well known and deserve to be more fully appreciated. In addition, a project of this type, if properly advertised, could help areas along the coast and in the interior become part of a specialized type of tourism (itineraries for hikers and naturalists) that, bucking the negative trend of conventional tourism, is enjoying a veritable economic boom.