Ortona

Ortona
Comune
Città di Ortona
A view of Ortona from the sea.
Ortona Location of Ortona in Italy
Coordinates: 42°21′N 14°24′E / 42.350°N 14.400°E / 42.350; 14.400Coordinates: 42°21′N 14°24′E / 42.350°N 14.400°E / 42.350; 14.400
Country	Italy
Region	Abruzzo
Province / Metropolitan city	Chieti (CH)
Frazioni	Alboreto, Aquilano, Caldari, Colombo, Cucullo, Feudo, Fontegrande, Foro, Fossato, Gagliarda, Iurisci, Lazzaretto, Lido Riccio, Madonna delle Grazie, Ranchini, Riccio, Ripari Bardella, Rogatti, Ruscitti, San Donato, San Leonardo, San Marco, San Pietro, Santa Lucia, Savini, Tamarete, Vaccari, Villa Deo, Villa Grande, Villa Iubatti, Villa Pincione, Villa San Leonardo, Villa San Nicola, Villa San Tommaso, Villa Torre
Government
• Mayor	Vincenzo D'Ottavio
Area
• Total	70 km2 (30 sq mi)
Elevation	72 m (236 ft)
Population (31 December 2014)
• Total	23,600
• Density	340/km2 (870/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Ortonesi
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	66026
Dialing code	085
Patron saint	St. Thomas
Saint day	First Sunday of May
Website	Official website

Ortona is a coastal town and municipality of the Province of Chieti in the Italian region of Abruzzo, with some 23,000 inhabitants.

Ortona was the site of fierce fighting between the 1st Fallschirmjäger Division and the 1st Canadian Infantry Division during the Italian campaign in World War II. The ferocity of the Battle of Ortona led it to be known as the "Little Stalingrad". A patron saint of Ortona is Saint Thomas the Apostle (Tommaso), whose relics are kept here.

The origins of Ortona are uncertain. Presumably, it was first inhabited by the Frentani, an Italic population. In 2005, during works near the Castle, a Bronze Age settlement was discovered, and the Roman town largely coincided with this first settlement. Some sections of paved roads and urban walls, as well as some archaeological findings are the only remains of this period. Ortona remained a part of the Roman Empire (i.e., the Byzantine Empire) for several centuries, before it was annexed by the Kingdom of the Lombards. In 803 the Franks incorporated Ortona into the county of Chieti. From that date on, the town remained tied to Chieti and its territory.

In 1258 the relics of the Apostle Thomas were brought to Ortona by the sailor Leone Acciaiuoli. In the first half of the 15th century its walls were built, and during this period Ortona fought with the nearby town of Lanciano in a fierce war that ended in 1427. On June 30, 1447, ships from Venice destroyed the port of Ortona; consequently the King of Sicily at that time commissioned the construction of a Castle to dominate the renovated port. In 1582 the town was acquired by Margaret of Parma, daughter of Emperor Charles V and Duchess of Parma. In 1584 Margaret decided to build a great mansion (known as Palazzo Farnese), which was never completed due to her death.