Ortona: Bad Weather, History, and Sports – 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 turns, the sky goes leaden grey, and bad weather hits the coast with a fury you don’t expect. In these first few days of April, the city has hunkered down and gritted its teeth. April 1? Schools closed, weather alert through the roof. Kids at home, empty streets, and seaside business owners with their hearts in their mouths. Then yesterday, April 2, a literal cold shower 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 soaked. The storm damaged the pipes, and people are rightly frustrated.

But if there’s one thing I’ve learned growing up here, it’s that Ortona is not a city 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 sappers blowing through 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 the 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 on a set, that chases down lost balls and turns the match around in the final rallies? Yeah, they’re made of the same stuff. 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” mindset. While that cursed April wind howled outside, inside the arena you could feel the spirit of redemption. And that’s not a metaphor.

Let’s break down what this bout of bad weather left behind:

• Schools closed on April 1: a safety call, since the 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 network. No stoves, no heating. Technicians are working on it, but patience has run out.
• Emergency funds: the municipality has already allocated resources to fix 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 been lifted. But the desire to bounce back is already running high. Because that’s how Ortona works: after the battle, you rebuild; after the 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 Pallavolo Impavida Ortona lads, the players I know by name, the faces I see at the supermarket. They don’t stop. Neither do we.

If you ever find yourself around here, drop by the Ortona Canadian War Cemetery. Bring a flower, a thought, even just a minute of silence. Then go catch 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 them in the face.