Ortona Battles Severe Weather, History, and Sports: Schools Closed, Gas Cut Off, and the Resilience of Impavida Volleyball
Who says the Abruzzo coast is just sun and beaches? We here in Ortona know better: when the wind shifts, the sky turns lead gray, and severe weather slams the coast with a fury you don't see coming. In these first few days of April, the city 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 literal cold shower for neighborhoods 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 damage knocked out the pipelines, and people are furious.
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 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 combat 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 Canadian War Cemetery of Ortona, up on that green hill overlooking the sea, reminds you every single day. More than a thousand white headstones, lined up like soldiers on parade. A silence that weighs on you, but also teaches you.
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 points, and turns the match around in the final rallies? Yeah, we're cut from the same cloth. 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 dead" mentality. While that cursed April wind howled outside, the arena was filled with the spirit of a comeback. And that's not a metaphor.
Let's break down what this bout of bad weather left behind, plain and simple:
- Schools closed on April 1st: a safety call, since gusts knocked down branches and made travel risky. Kids are happy, parents less so—but better a day at home than an accident.
- Outages in Feudo, Lazzaretto, Savini, and Foro: gas cut off due to storm damage to the lines. No stoves, no heat. Crews are working on it, but patience has run out.
- Emergency funds: the city has already allocated money to fix the worst damage. We're talking tens of thousands of euros, but bureaucracy moves slowly—and the people living there know that better than I do.
Now the rain seems to have stopped pounding the rooftops, and the alert has lifted. But the desire to get back on our feet 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 even harder. And as I write this, I think of the players from Impavida Volleyball Ortona, those guys I know by name, those faces I run into at the supermarket. They don't stop. And neither do we.
If you ever find yourself around here, stop by the Canadian War Cemetery of Ortona. Bring a flower, a thought, even just a minute of silence. Then go watch an Impavida game. You'll feel the exact same thing: the sound of a community that refuses to lose. Even when the sky is slapping them in the face.