You'll spot the Torre del Cerrano before you reach the water—a square Spanish watchtower built in 1568, its weathered stone glowing amber in the afternoon light. The tower marks the center of a marine reserve where fishing nets are forbidden and the seabed has recovered its wild complexity. Wade into the shallows and the sand gives way to patches of seagrass; slip on a mask and you'll drift over posidonia meadows where sea bream dart between fronds and hermit crabs scuttle across volcanic rock.
“The only Abruzzo beach where a Renaissance watchtower stands within a marine reserve that shelters nesting sea turtles.”
Credit: UnsplashCliff-edge cove with emerald water
The beach itself stretches in a gentle arc, fine beige sand interrupted by wooden walkways that protect the dune vegetation behind. Pines lean toward the water, their resinous scent mixing with salt air. In early morning, before the stabilimenti open their blue umbrellas, you might see the tracks where a loggerhead turtle hauled herself ashore during the night—the reserve is one of the few Adriatic nesting sites.
Local families claim their spots under the pines, spreading blankets in the shade while children build elaborate sand cities near the waterline. The tower looms in every photograph, a reminder that this coastline has always been worth defending. At dusk, the Adriatic turns pewter and the Gran Sasso mountains sharpen against the western sky, their snow-touched peaks visible on clear days.
