Thank you for introducing Ortona and for your sensitive treatment of the battle. I have visited many times, the first time was with my father who was one of the Canadian soldiers who fought there. For him it was important to see the final resting place of many of his friends. Later, I took my own sons there so that they could see the memorial to the sacrifice made for the liberation of Italy.
It's a very special cemetery, very peaceful and so beautifully kept. It must have been so tough for your father to visit, we can't imagine what it must have felt like for him and all the memories of that awful war. We aren't even connected to Ortona and it moved us to tears walking through the graves. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and thank you for watching
From Ontario , Canada 1st Generation Abruzzo , A Mare , Ortona . My Mother and her family lived through the Battle of Ortona. My Mom - Vita Flamminio Di Ilio was 13 when the Battle happened. The Canadian Allies took over their home as a base. The Morrow River ran through my mother's farm / property. They had vast olive orchards and vineyards. In 1943 the Canadian soldiers gave my mother and my Nonna flour to bake bread for the family and for the regiment. After the war everything was destroyed and my mom's family of 9 kids and my nonna immigrated to Canada in 1955 . Nothing could have prepared them for the Canadian life. My sister and I are going to St. Vito in October 2025 and visiting with family there and my 1st cousins in Ortona who still live on the original homestead.. Thank you for the incredible video. Cristina Fairbairn Di Ilio
Wow what a surprise to have made a wonderful video about my city of birth. Just think that my father, who is now 87 years old, remembers the war very well as a child and also a battle in the skies between a German Stukas and an English Spitfire. To save themselves from the bombings, my father's family had dug a cave in the hill facing the sea and so they also saw the bombings from the ships. Just think that not far from there and precisely in the town of Torino di Sangro, there is the English cemetery which is much larger than the Canadian one which is equally well cared for although enormous. In Ortona there was also the Gustav line which not only divided Italy between the allies and the Nazis, but also all of Europe. You documented that city very well with all its beauties and its history and I was really moved to see this video on Ortona. You are doing a great and wonderful job and for me you are the pride of Abruzzo. I will never stop thanking you for everything you are doing for our region with these beautiful videos and with that beautiful project and restoration of an ancient forgotten medieval palace. You are great!
Finally we get round to responding to you and your lovely comment. Sorry we are being very 'piano piano' at the moment. We really enjoyed Ortona and we thought of you as you took us there after our bike ride down the Via Verde. It's a great town and with such a fascinating history. Its more recent history of the WWII is so sad and we didn't think that, of course, your family would have been there during that time. How terrifying for them. I'm glad you enjoyed our video of your birthplace. We hope to see you soon! ❤
The museum really was haunting but also very informative, we learnt a lot about that awful time during the war there. Where are you thinking of buying?
We are looking to buy in a 7% flat tax town. We are thinking Chieti province but we are flexible. We want at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms and something that is already restructured. We are not interested in having your remodel experience, but I do love to watch it :-). Grazie da Texas come sempre❤
Thanks for posting this! My grandfather fought here in ww2 for Canada and luckily made it back home. I’ve always wanted to visit and pay homage to those young men.
Thanks for watching and commenting. So pleased to hear that you grandfather made it back home. What an awful battle! With your connection to this place you certainly must visit one day and also explore the rest of Abruzzo.
Thank you so much for this video. It was so informative and very emotional to watch. Beautifully done. We are thinking of buying in Abruzzo and wanted your opinion since you live there. We want a Historical village near the coast. 20 minutes or less.. We have two young daughters so it has to be lively but still charming.
Thank you for your lovely comment. So glad you enjoyed the video. With regarding buying here there are so many factors to consider. You can DM us and we can put our thinking caps on for you. How about a historical town or 'city' as some larger towns are called here? Have you considered that idea? For example Chieti is ideal for the younger generations in that they can jump on the train there as it has its own station and head down to the coast or inland.
Thank you for introducing Ortona and for your sensitive treatment of the battle. I have visited many times, the first time was with my father who was one of the Canadian soldiers who fought there. For him it was important to see the final resting place of many of his friends.
Later, I took my own sons there so that they could see the memorial to the sacrifice made for the liberation of Italy.
It's a very special cemetery, very peaceful and so beautifully kept. It must have been so tough for your father to visit, we can't imagine what it must have felt like for him and all the memories of that awful war. We aren't even connected to Ortona and it moved us to tears walking through the graves. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and thank you for watching
From Ontario , Canada 1st Generation Abruzzo , A Mare , Ortona . My Mother and her family lived through the Battle of Ortona. My Mom - Vita Flamminio Di Ilio was 13 when the Battle happened. The Canadian Allies took over their home as a base. The Morrow River ran through my mother's farm / property. They had vast olive orchards and vineyards. In 1943 the Canadian soldiers gave my mother and my Nonna flour to bake bread for the family and for the regiment. After the war everything was destroyed and my mom's family of 9 kids and my nonna immigrated to Canada in 1955 . Nothing could have prepared them for the Canadian life. My sister and I are going to St. Vito in October 2025 and visiting with family there and my 1st cousins in Ortona who still live on the original homestead.. Thank you for the incredible video.
Cristina Fairbairn Di Ilio
Wow what a surprise to have made a wonderful video about my city of birth. Just think that my father, who is now 87 years old, remembers the war very well as a child and also a battle in the skies between a German Stukas and an English Spitfire. To save themselves from the bombings, my father's family had dug a cave in the hill facing the sea and so they also saw the bombings from the ships. Just think that not far from there and precisely in the town of Torino di Sangro, there is the English cemetery which is much larger than the Canadian one which is equally well cared for although enormous. In Ortona there was also the Gustav line which not only divided Italy between the allies and the Nazis, but also all of Europe. You documented that city very well with all its beauties and its history and I was really moved to see this video on Ortona. You are doing a great and wonderful job and for me you are the pride of Abruzzo. I will never stop thanking you for everything you are doing for our region with these beautiful videos and with that beautiful project and restoration of an ancient forgotten medieval palace. You are great!
Finally we get round to responding to you and your lovely comment. Sorry we are being very 'piano piano' at the moment. We really enjoyed Ortona and we thought of you as you took us there after our bike ride down the Via Verde. It's a great town and with such a fascinating history. Its more recent history of the WWII is so sad and we didn't think that, of course, your family would have been there during that time. How terrifying for them. I'm glad you enjoyed our video of your birthplace. We hope to see you soon! ❤
That museum is haunting. Thank you for taking us on this tour. I love to learn about the cities before we buy. Grazie da Texas come sempre ❤
The museum really was haunting but also very informative, we learnt a lot about that awful time during the war there. Where are you thinking of buying?
We are looking to buy in a 7% flat tax town. We are thinking Chieti province but we are flexible. We want at least three bedrooms and two bathrooms and something that is already restructured. We are not interested in having your remodel experience, but I do love to watch it :-). Grazie da Texas come sempre❤
Another great video
Thank you
Thanks for posting this! My grandfather fought here in ww2 for Canada and luckily made it back home. I’ve always wanted to visit and pay homage to those young men.
Thanks for watching and commenting. So pleased to hear that you grandfather made it back home. What an awful battle! With your connection to this place you certainly must visit one day and also explore the rest of Abruzzo.
@@ExploringAbruzzo yes it’s high up on my bucket list for sure. Really enjoy your videos!
Merci a vous. ❤🧡💛💚💙💜🤎
Thank you for watching 😍
San Tommaso prega per noi!
Thank you so much for this video. It was so informative and very emotional to watch. Beautifully done. We are thinking of buying in Abruzzo and wanted your opinion since you live there. We want a Historical village near the coast. 20 minutes or less.. We have two young daughters so it has to be lively but still charming.
Thank you for your lovely comment. So glad you enjoyed the video. With regarding buying here there are so many factors to consider. You can DM us and we can put our thinking caps on for you. How about a historical town or 'city' as some larger towns are called here? Have you considered that idea? For example Chieti is ideal for the younger generations in that they can jump on the train there as it has its own station and head down to the coast or inland.