Trabucco

Trabucco or Trabocco (Italian, pronounced " Trabokko ", usually in the plural as Trabucchi or trabocchi ) is an on the Abruzzo coast of the Adriatic Sea to the erected Stilt fishing. The " Costa di trabocchi ", in which many of these fish built can still be seen, situated between the towns of Pescara, Ortona, Vasto and San Vito Chietino and San Salvo. They also come in Puglia on the Gargano peninsula before. The German term is fishing gallows or fish scales.

Purpose

The purpose of this design is to evenly reduce a large rectangular grid horizontally and pull up again after some time. The Trabucchi were built on particularly favorable coastal sections at locations where favored by ocean currents, passing by fish. As a building material used was the wood of chestnut, which is very durable, and black locust, its resistance allows a load up to 250 kg / cm ². All elements are initially connected only by means of strings, making the necessary mobility and durability is ensured the construction. Nowadays, Trabucchi be reinforced with steel piles and rivets. Money for a historically accurate restoration does not exist. The Trabucchi are independent of adverse weather and sea conditions form of fishing.

History

In the Middle Ages, farmers or shepherds built of wood and ropes on the coast over the water small highs to catch fish with nets. For alluvial materials, the first buildings were erected in order to eject cast nets can well. On piles rammed in the water in the ground and fixed with ropes on the shore or other poles, a small platform is built. On this platform, further piles were built to create from tensioned cables in a flexible but durable construction, should hold the large Senknetze and the weight of the pull-up and share. Depending on the nature coast and water depth, different simple, based on trial and error structures were used. Experiences from destruction by storms or waves show the rigid connections, fixed with nails or screws, could not replace the necessary mobility of a rope knot.

The first Trabocco was built in the 14th century in San Vito Chietino. Builders were a Frenchman and a German.

Presence

Today there are only a few trabocchi on the Adriatic coast, they exist today in Pescara largely of iron bars and a sturdy iron frame as a foundation on which a cabin for fishing and / or to stay has been set. Some of the great trabocchi serve today as a weekend house or as small fish restaurants. In Pescara is observed more often that they become a prey to the flames. On the Gargano they are protected, but according to statements by indigenous are only a few in use and there is no one left who could build that.

Tucked away on the cliffs at Ortona and Vasto various filigree original wood trabocchi are obtained with long thin rods, which can be reached only about as long thin webs.