Firetop

Ortona is very close to Pescara on the Eastern Coast of Italy in the region of Abruzzo. By car it’s about thirty-five minutes drive from Pescara airport into Ortona. A relatively small town with docked fishing boats, a small industrial harbour and wonderful beaches, the bay is surrounded by steep green slopes. The main town buildings in Ortona cut a straight and precarious line across a cliff edge, a winding road twists down to the harbour area. The odd medium sized boat comes into the harbour once or twice a day, but for the most part the calm seas are upset only by the occasional small leisure boats taking people out to dive and snorkel. This town is untouched by tourism and is authentic Italy through and through.

From the balcony of the flat we stayed in we had some breath-taking views; from the beach to the town and back inland towards the mountain backdrop - huge chunks of rock that manage to catch the sun in a way unlike that I’ve seen anywhere else. The pace of life in Ortona is slow, the main high street has perhaps twenty stores each of which are very specific - a shirt shop, a shoe shop, a book shop, a cake shop - no supermarkets here, both frustrating and delightfully quaint.

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