Ortona: Battling Severe Weather, History, and Sports – Schools Closed, Gas Disrupted, and the Strength of Impavida Volleyball

Who says the Abruzzo coast is all sun and beaches? We here in Ortona know better: when the wind turns, the sky turns leaden grey, and severe weather slams into the coast with a fury you don't expect. In these first few days of April, the town has battened down the hatches and gritted its teeth. April 1st? Schools closed, weather alerts through the roof. Kids at home, empty streets, and business owners along the waterfront with their hearts in their throats. Then yesterday, April 2nd, a real cold shower (literally) for neighbourhoods like Feudo, Lazzaretto, Savini, and Foro. No gas. Not even a flame to cook a plate of pasta or take a hot shower after getting your jacket soaked. The storm damage knocked out the pipes, and people are furious.

But if there's one thing I've learned from living here my whole life, it's that Ortona isn't a town that gives up. It didn't back in '43, when homes became trenches and every corner was a battlefield. The Battle of Ortona, fought between German paratroopers and Canadian infantry, was one of the bloodiest of the Italian campaign. Street by street, house by house, with engineers blowing through load-bearing walls. They called it "Little Stalingrad." And today, as you walk along the waterfront or stop for a coffee in Piazza Trento e Trieste, you might not think about it. But the Ortona Canadian Military Cemetery, on that green hill overlooking the sea, reminds you every day. More than a thousand white headstones, lined up like soldiers on parade. A heavy silence, but one that teaches.

That's why, when the rain comes or the wind knocks out the gas meters, I don't panic. Impavida Volleyball Ortona shows the way. You know that team that never drops a set, chases down lost balls, and turns the match around in the final rallies? Well, we're cut from the same cloth. Impavida is the beating heart of this community: kids sweating it out in the gym, parents packing the PalaBianchini, and that "stop and you're done" mindset. While that cursed April wind howled outside, inside the arena you could breathe a sense of redemption. And that's no metaphor.

Let's break down, plain and simple, what this bout of bad weather left behind:

• Schools closed on April 1st: a safety decision, since the gusts brought down some branches and made travel risky. The kids are happy, parents less so – but better a day at home than an accident.
• Disruptions in Feudo, Lazzaretto, Savini, and Foro: gas cut off due to storm damage to the networks. No stoves, no heating. Technicians are working on it, but patience has run out.
• Emergency funds: the municipality has already allocated resources to repair the worst damage. We're talking tens of thousands of euros, but bureaucracy moves slowly – and those living in those areas know that better than I do.

Now the rain seems to have stopped pounding the rooftops, and the alert has lifted. But the thermometer of our desire to bounce back is already high. Because Ortona is like that: after a battle, you rebuild; after a storm, you sweep away the rotten leaves; after a lost set, you get back under the net and attack harder. And as I write this, I think of the players from Impavida Volleyball Ortona, the ones I know by name, the faces I see at the grocery store. They don't stop. And neither do we.

If you ever find yourself around here, drop by the Ortona Canadian Military Cemetery. Bring a flower, a thought, even just a minute of silence. Then go watch an Impavida match. You'll feel the exact same thing: the sound of a community that doesn't know how to lose. Even when the sky slaps you around.