Adriatic Trabocchi

Our first week in Italy seemed more whirlwind-vacation than we are used to - stops at guidebook highlights, major cities and well-known sights. Yesterday, we crossed the country and arrived in Abruzzo, which felt like decelerating. The Adriatic hasn't warmed up yet and the temperature topped out in the low fifties, so we found ourselves on an empty coastline.

One thing we noticed as we drove through this less-developed landscape: these fishing platforms - called "trabocchi" - jutting out over the water.
They are designed to lower nets into the rich currents that stream by the rocky shore. Because there were few native trees for the poles, they were built with old railway ties and bits of scrounged wood. They remind me of treehouses, built out over nothing.
Once, there were hundreds of trabocchi all along this coast. Commercial boats and industrialized fishing took their toll, though, and now there are only fifteen. Because it is prohibited to construct anything off shore, they will be the last. The owners, apparently, are only allowed to make repairs.