Ortona: Battling Bad Weather, History, and Sport – Schools Closed, Gas Cut Off, and the Spirit of Pallavolo Impavida

Who says the Abruzzo coast is all about sun and beaches? We from Ortona know better: when the wind shifts, the sky turns leaden grey, and bad weather slams into the coast with a fury you wouldn't expect. In these first few days of April, the town has battened down the hatches and clenched its teeth. April 1st? Schools shut, weather alert through the roof. Kids at home, empty streets, and seaside shop owners with their hearts in their mouths. Then yesterday, April 2nd, a real cold shower (literally) for neighbourhoods like Feudo, Lazzaretto, Savini and Foro. No gas. Not a single flame to cook a plate of pasta or take a hot shower after getting your jacket soaked. The storm damaged the pipelines, and people are furious.

But if there's one thing I've learned living here all my life, it's that Ortona is not a town that gives up. It didn't back in '43, when homes turned into 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 sappers blowing up load-bearing walls. They called it “little Stalingrad.” And today, as you walk along the seafront or stop for a coffee at Piazza Trento e Trieste, you might not think about it. But the Ortona Canadian War Cemetery, on that green hill overlooking the sea, reminds you every day. Over a thousand white graves, lined up like soldiers on parade. A heavy silence, but one that teaches.

That's why, when rain comes or the wind knocks out the gas meters, I don't panic. Pallavolo Impavida Ortona shows the way. You know that team that never gives up a set, chases down lost balls, and turns the match around in the final rallies? That's the same spirit. Impavida is the beating heart of this community: young players sweating it out in the gym, parents packing the PalaBianchini, and that “stop-and-you're-done” mentality. While that cursed April wind howled outside, the arena was filled with a comeback energy. And that's no metaphor.

Let's take a quick, honest look at what this bout of bad weather has left behind:

• Schools closed on April 1st: a safety decision, since gusts brought down branches and made travel risky. 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, but patience has run out.
• Emergency funds: the municipality has already allocated repairs for 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 hammering the rooftops, and the alert has eased. But the determination to bounce back is already running 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, I think of the Pallavolo Impavida Ortona guys, those players I know by name, those faces I run into at the supermarket. They don't stop. Neither do we.

If you ever pass by these parts, drop in at the Ortona Canadian War 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 refuses to lose. Even when the sky slaps them in the face.