The Marina Pier
A 20th Century Monument
Located approximately one kilometer from the beginning of the Gulf of Vasto, on the beach, stands a pier that allows visitors to venture about sixty meters into the waters of the Adriatic Sea. To access it, one must ascend a ramp, reaching a height of about two meters above sea level. At the end of the ramp, it widens into a platform where one can pause and contemplate the sea.
The Pier, constructed in reinforced concrete in 1998, is connected to a walkway leading to the building that currently houses the Nautical Club, obscuring it from view along the promenade. However, it is not equipped for boat docking and appears to be an architecture devoid of practical use in that regard.
In reality, the current pier was built to replace the historic wooden and iron pier, which was demolished in 1996. The old pier held significant sentimental value for the people of Vasto, who considered it a symbol of their beach. It had been constructed about a century prior as a dock for cargo and fishing vessels that utilized the waters of the Gulf of Vasto, deeper than now, as a natural harbor.
Its location, close to the Fosso Marino stream, was likely determined by the activities present in the Marina district in the early 20th century, particularly the brick kiln located approximately three hundred meters inland from the beach. The area also housed the customs buildings of Vasto, further attesting to the commercial role of this small infrastructure.
Subsequently, in 1948, the fish market, now the Nautical Club, was built. At that time, rowing or sailing boats would dock at the pier and unload their catch just a few meters away, where it was sold. In the following years, the industrial port at Punta Penna was constructed, and the fishing fleet gradually transitioned to motorized vessels, relocated to the new site.
The pier was thus left in the middle of the sea, without any use, and began to rust to the point that access was restricted for years. When it was dismantled, the municipality of Vasto decided to rebuild it because its image had become ingrained in the memories of the locals and the collective imagination they carried with them.
