Ortona is a deep-water port on the eastern coast of Italy. This small town with a population of 24 thousand people is a proud holder of the gold medal “For Civic Valor”. On its native peninsula, it is famous as “the Italian Stalingrad”. It was here that in December of 1943 a violent clash took place between the German paratroopers and the Canadian infantry, which resulted in an almost complete devastation of the city by the artillery, bomb and tanks.

The first contacts between Volgograd and Ortona began in June of 2011, and the agreement on friendship and cooperation was signed in 2014 after a series of jointly realized projects.

The universities of the two cities are holding scientific and practical conferences and round tables dedicated to the preservation of historical memory and the history of World War 2, and their artists, singers and dancers participate in festivals together.

Website: http://www.comune.ortona.chieti.it