Promontorio Dannunziano

The cliffs between Marina di San Vito and the open sea bear the name of Gabriele D'Annunzio, who spent the summer of 1889 on this shore and set Il trionfo della morte in this landscape.

Why it matters

In July 1889 D'Annunzio rented a rustic house on the ridge with Barbara Leoni, his companion at the time. The municipal chronicle records their stay from 23 July to 22 September, when Il trionfo della morte took shape around this coastline. The promontory is associated with the novel's closing scene. The Eremo Dannunziano stands on the ridge, above the trabocchi along the shore.

What to notice

The promontory overlooks the Trabocco Turchino at the foot of Capo Turchino and the coves and rocky shelves of the Adriatic shore. The Eremo Dannunziano, the rustic house associated with the summer of 1889, stands on the ridge and is privately owned. Broom, or ginestra, is associated with San Vito's epithet città delle ginestre; trabocchi have been rebuilt over time while retaining their characteristic form.

Context and history

In 1889 Francesco Paolo Michetti, a painter and D'Annunzio's friend, arranged the rental of the rustic house from Luigi Di Cinzio, owner of the Trabocco Turchino. D'Annunzio and Barbara Leoni spent the summer there, and the novel that grew from their stay uses the cliffs, sea and headland as part of its setting. The headland continued to be associated with agriculture and fishing. Barbara Leoni's remains were eventually brought back to the area at the request of the property's family. The promontory's present name reflects recognition of its literary and cultural heritage.