Europe Fall 2024 - Son of Ortona - Not A Keeper...Or Is It?

Is Ortona going to be a place we come back to? Will it be a place we find comfortable to spend weeks?

For the last couple of days the answer has seemed to be 'No'. It simply is missing too many of the factors that have made our top cities (El Campello, Spain; Cefalú, Sicily) our choices. Let's look at those factors. (Please note, neither of our top choices meet all these criteria!)

1. A long, easy to access walkway following the ocean with a reasonable uninterrupted view.
2. Access to the actual beach to walk along the water.
   
3. A city that is walkable, with easy access to shopping, particularly food shopping by foot.
4. A culture that is somewhat friendly to expats, foreigner without being over-the-top touristy.
5. Has a Medieval Old Town that offers the stimulation of a different 'vibe' when you walk through it.
6. Has a number of options for short-term rental housing that has sea views.
7. Can be used as a base for exploring other areas/sites beyond

 As we have explored Ortona in more depth, it is missing quite a bit of what we want. 

• There is a walkway with uninterrupted ocean view but it is not that long and it does not have beach access.
• The city is highly walkable, but there is nowhere near the kind of shopping our top two cities have.
• The culture does not seem to be particularly open to the expat/tourist segment.
• The Old Town is not Medieval and is not that interesting.
• There seem to be very few options for housing with views of the ocean.
• It would be a good base for exploring other parts of Italy.

So why are we still considering it?

1. We really would love to find a place in Italy proper (not Sicily) and this is the closest we've come.
2. We've found one small area that might get close to what we want pending our finding the possibility of housing.
3. It could be a place we come for a couple of weeks, not a month.
4. There are precious few other options we've found!

Tomorrow, we're meeting with some people who are managing our Airbnb. I hope to find out for certain if the kind of rental property we need is feasible. That will be a make it or break it piece of information.

In the meantime...

Harbor Pictures

It was a very grim, grey, and potentially rainy day. It eventually came down in a downpour that lasted hours. Fortunately we were able to drive down to the harbor and take some pictures.

Looking up at the city from the harbor

Ye Olde St. Thomas...WITH pigeon!

Working harbor shots

Looking up to the Aragonese Castle

Mandatory Lighthouse shot

 

Europe Fall 2024 - Ortona Exploration Continues

We were pretty exhausted from our day yesterday. But we still wanted to get out and do more exploring. Sunday is a time when most self-respecting Italians are eating a big meal at lunch either at home or out. But Wife and I needed a break from our heavy eating. And we didn't want to deal with having to make a reservation. I went to the supermarket, picked up a couple of things and cooked a soup of chicken, potatoes and zucchini for us to eat later.

Originally the weather prediction was for wind and rain. But it turned to be lovely. So we went out around midday and the town was virtually abandoned. It was such a nice relaxed time. All the cafes but one were shut. We went there, had a sandwich and a drink, and some gelato, and continued our walk. This is how we are getting the feel of whether this is a place we could come and spend more time.

 Wife in Contemplation

And what does Wife contemplate?

Architectural Scaffolding!

Of Course

 There is a veritable cornucopia of it here

 

Pictures of City's Famous Theater

Heroic theater statue

Statue honoring hometown noted composer Tosti.

I think those are supposed to be a chorus around him. 

They look like they are being tortured to me.

Miscellaneous Buildings

Follow the Blue Brick Road to the Sea

SIGNS OF THE WORLD

In a country that has produced the Medici, the Borgia, Machiavelli, and the like OF COURSE you have special walk ways for the Sinister

 

Europe Fall 2024 - Ortona, Could It Be The One?

We are staying in the large town (or small city of Ortona). It is located just south of the major city of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Wife has gone into quite a bit of detail about the town and where we are staying in her post yesterday. I will give you the highlights.

The town didn't impress us too much as we drove in. It seemed rather pedestrian. However, we are staying in a nice, modern apartment building. Getting into the apartment was easy. It is spacious, but like so many Airbnb type properties these days, is minimally kitted out so is nowhere near as comfortable as it could be. There also isn't much of a view. But there is a supermarket right nearby. We went there and did some shopping as we're going to be here a week. 

I always enjoy the challenge of shopping in supermarkets of other countries. Trying to figure out what things are (is this body wash or laundry detergent?), ordering things from service counters (much pointing, using my phone to show the number of grams I want of something, etc.), seeing things you don't normally see, and not finding things you normally find, are all part of the experience. 

After we were done with our shopping, Wife started to look at some of the promotional material on Ortona in the apartment. As she started reading, her level of enthusiasm grew. She passed that on to me. It turns out our apartment is just a couple of blocks away from Old Town which is the main attraction and point of interest. 

On Saturday we were out and about exploring. It was easy to find the major points. The town sits on a hill overlooking the ocean. Below is a working port. There is a great, long promenade that goes all around the outside of the Old Town looking out on the port and the sea. We could see ourselves enjoying the same kind of lifestyle we have been seeking. There is still more research to be done. We'd want to get an apartment that had a sea view. That doesn't appear to be so easy to find. We're not sure of the availability of shopping in walking distance. We'll be doing a lot more exploring in the days ahead

 Entering into the Old Town - the Cathedral

Thankfully many of the important sites are under renovation which means plenty of opportunity for our love of architectural scaffolding and covering.

 

Ortona was the scene of a major battle during WWII involving Canadians. There are monuments throughout the area.

 The Aragonese Castle from the 16th Century!

 The Port!

Much like the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, the Port of Ortona is a refuge for Cranes

 

 

 It is also a refuge for Espouses Fotograficus 

 Check - One Mandatory Lighthouse

Statue in the harbor of Saint Someone or Other, Patron saint of Something

 

Along the promenade of the Passageo Orientale. This is THE PLACE we would want to stay if we were to do a long stay in Ortona. The challenge will be to find a place. You are not going to find these on Airbnb & VRBO.

 

 Old Buildings 

A requirement for our next long-stay locale

 

Narrow Medieval type streets - Check

Famous old noble family dominating the historical scene - Check

Medieval type art that has you scratching your head - Check

Even access to Mountains that have snow cover in September!

SIGNS OF THE WORLD

The Signs of the World team has been sadly lacking in material so far this trip, at least to date.

Seen near some construction

Our team researched and found it referenced the Italian love of great design

"No Square Lines Allowed on This Site)