We are going to lunch on a trabocco! A trabocco is an old fishing platform typical of the Abruzzi coast. They were invented in the 18th century to combat fishing during bad seasons. They are wooden structures built slightly out into the sea with a system of wooden arms and winches that lower and raises nets that intercept the flows of fish moving through. There are around forty left and about fourteen of them have been made into restaurants that are only open for a few months a year. We were lucky enough to book into one.
We park and walk down to Trabocco Pesce Palumbo. Hand painted signs welcome us and as we walk down some steps and turn a corner, our senses are assailed by the beauty of this structure. A long wooden jetty jutting out into the blue, blue waters of the Adriatic. We walk down and see the complex structures of the netting and winch system and are shown to our table on the sea, crossing a glass floor that showcases the azure blue of the water below us.
There is no menu, we wait with anticipation of how this works. It was so hard to try and book that in the end the hotel booked for us and I didn’t even ask the price. And so it begins….
First a bottle of Prosecco appears and wonderful sourdough bread. Then the courses start appearing. Firstly a paper cone of fried anchovies. Next, three dishes, squid with zucchini and almonds; a local fish with the sweetest tomatoes I have ever tasted with thin slivers of Tropea purple onions and cod with capsicums in a vinegary sauce. Then another platter of three - a local fish with pine nuts; stuffed mussels; eggplant slices with another type of local fish. And then another bottle of wine - an organic Rose that is to die for.
And then the mains arrive. A local handmade pasta with prawns in a delicate tomato sauce; a seafood soup; fritto misto - delicate tiny fish and calamari. We are done and slightly drunk, the seagulls are watching us hopeful but we are not sharing.
We sit back, stomachs full after a couple of hours eating and then out comes dessert! Cherries and little almond tarts with espresso and Limoncello. We are done! And slightly concerned about the bill but when it arrives we are amazed. Fifty euro each, about seventy Australian dollars!
We make it to our hotel and lie in a stupor that breakfast time. And again this is amazing. They have special waffle type pancakes with cinnamon and orange; baby donuts, a ricotta and chocolate cake that is wonderful and then I have to try the pistachio tart. I go for a long walk and then we’re back on the road, heading towards Auronzo via Brisighella which is somewhere in between and not so easy to find.
But when we do, we find a sleepy village that as always in Italy, comes alive at night.
We find a beautifully renovated hotel where we leave our bags and head out for a drink after a very long drive. Nothing is open, although it’s five o’clock and aperitivo hour. We eventually find a decrepit bar where old men seem to hang out and watch tv. It’s run by a waitress who has seen it all. She makes me a Spritz that knocks me out in three sips and tells us this is a bar run by the church. Oh Italy, only here would the priests run a bar for the local poor and down and out.
Then we are told about a restaurant we should try and they also do a set seafood or meat menu. We didn’t think this one through, especially after last night. The first plate arrives with seven different seafood dishes, then homemade pasta and seafood, fried fish, zuchinis and a skewer of prawns and then dessert of profiteroles. We hardly touched our meals, just sampled the flavours and realised we won’t be ready to do this again for another year.
Of course, we do manage breakfast of homemade jam tarts and coffee as I have another five hour drive ahead of us, picking up the daughter on the way at Venice airport where she’s arrived after a week studying Italian in Syracuse which she absolutely loved.
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