Ortona is a sleepy, coastal Italian town on the Central Adriatic coast on the eastern side of the peninsula. Same latitude as Rome. Maybe some of you remember Ortona from your grandfather’s WWII stories, as Ortona is known for the infamous Moro River Campaign – the worst battle between the Nazis and Allied Forces in the entire Italian Campaign. Think 3,000+ casualties during the winter of 1943-44. Brutal.
Moro River feeds into Renerelle Beach, and in front of the river mouth, in the smallest sea of the world, the Central Adriatic, with particular swell and wind conditions, it is possible to score quality surf. While an exhausting effort must be made, the local surf community charges it on regular basis every given swell. On an average year, there are roughly 60-70 days of surf-able swell, which is never enough for us.
Few swells are good enough to produce quality waves, and with swells lasting 24-48 hours, and better waves lasting for 2-3 hours every swell, (or maybe less) it’s a matter of timeliness, devotion, and luck. While in summer, water temperatures rise to 86 degrees, winter water temperatures drop to 50, and the river water is way colder as mountains lie 20 kilometers away. It is a bit of a religious affair surfing over here.
Seeing as “surf where you live” is a solid policy, I’ve grown to love a spot named Acquabella. I’ve had a 15-year, full-on love affair with this place and its environment, which has all the necessary ingredients to make it epic: a little fishing village, a river mouth in front of an abandoned railway, a bit of a harsh environment, difficult access, a local community, sharks (yes, the Adriatic Sea is the sharkiest of the European seas), the Majella Mountains are only 20 kilometers away. And waves, obviously.
Surfers often arrive too late and ask how the waves were. “You cannot imagine. Minutes before, it was way epic!” Just as everywhere else. This is not uncommon.
View more of Mario’s work on his website: mariotrave.viewbook.com
