Area Marina Protetta Torre del Cerrano

The Marine Protected Area

Torre del Cerrano MPA was established by the Italian Ministry of the Environment with a decree of 21-10-2009, published on the G.U. (official journal) of the Italian Republic no. 80 of 07-04-2010.
It extends for 3 nautical miles from the coast and develops along the coastline for 7 km, out of which 2.5 km consist of sandy dune, from the mouth of torrent Calvano, crossing the town of Pineto, to Silvi town center, at the railway station.

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The Territory

Between the sky and the earth, a protected stretch of water where it is possible to cultivate the precious resources of the sea. Torre del Cerrano Marine Protected Area is situated in Abruzzi, the "green region of Europe", with over 30% of protected territory. In the stretch of Teramo, between the two Municipalities of Pineto and Silvi, the marine area includes seven kilometers of coast and completes a program of environmental protection and enhancement consisting of the already existing network of underwater nature sanctuaries that have allowed, in these years, the safeguard, the repopulation, and the study of the marine ecosystem.

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The Sea

The stretch of water of Torre del Cerrano Marine Protected Area includes two different environmental typologies strictly related: the characteristic Adriatic sandy dunes characterizing the largest section of the area, and some stretches of bottom cliffs, including both the semi-submerged boulders of the ancient port of Atri and the submerged structures of the provincial marine nature sanctuary, as well as some outcrops of conglomeratic geological formations.

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The Dunes

The sand bars, parallel to the coastline, form beyond the area subject to tide variations from the deposit of the sandy particles transported by the wind.
These places are of great interest, since they represent an area of transition between two very different environments: the sea and the mainland. The strong sea storms, the high saltiness level both in the substratum and in the air, the strong winds, the considerable sun exposure, and the lack of organic substance in the soil allow the growth of only very particular species.

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The Pinewood

Luigi Corrado Filiani, well-educated and far-sighted landowner, an ecologist ahead of his times, started in the early 20th century the plan that would have marked the history and urban context of the future Pineto: the creation of a coastline pinewood recalling the situation of the ancient coastal forest disappeared because of the strong exploitation of timber in the latest centuries.

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