Descending from the Gargano heights, one often comes across curious structures overlooking the sea. Monstrous and imposing, trabucchi are symbols of ancient seafaring culture. Fishing tools that are children of a centuries-old tradition, they are widespread along the entire coast between Vieste and Peschici.
Let's discover, then, where the trabucchi are located and what their history is, tracing the territory and the lives of simple men with boundless knowledge of the sea.
The birth of trabucchi seems to date back as far as the Phoenicians. The purpose of these threadlike stilts was to facilitate fishermen during times when bad weather prevented fishing on the open sea.
The term trebuchet comes from Latin, specifically from the word trabs, trabis meaning wood, tree or beam. In fact, these structures are composed of a wooden platform facing the sea, from which two or more booms called masts depart. From these is hung a large, close-meshed net called a pitfall. Fish are trapped in the overflow by taking advantage of the sea currents.
Bringing this fishing practice to life were the trabuccolanti, important men who worked and lived inside the trabucco itself. For coastal communities and small seaside villages, the figure of the trebuccolante has always commanded respect and admiration, precisely because of his solitary life devoted to work.
Nevertheless, these structures were used until the 1940s, only to be gradually outclassed by industrial fishing. Today they have been recognized as heritage of the Apulia region and added to the list of historical and environmental assets.
There are many noteworthy trabucchi:
Trabucchi today have been reinvented and reinterpreted. Some of them, in fact, have turned into restaurants, where you can eat freshly caught fish.
Among the most famous are certainly to remember the three trabucchi in Peschici:
The history associated with trabucchi is full of fascination, and the sea culture that has resulted from their recovery is waiting to be discovered. The Gargano, in fact, has for years now offered many opportunities to enjoy an experience made up of white beaches and woods overhanging the coast.
Today, to experience it in the most authentic way, it is essential to choose a location, which is convenient and has all the necessary amenities.
Precisely for this reason, thanks to the catalog of vacation homes in the Gargano of Barbarhouse, you have the opportunity to be a step away from the most beautiful beaches, the most pristine forests, the flavors of the sea.
