After my boyfriend, Gabriele, and I arrive at the two-track village of Ortona, we walk to La Fontana Dell’Amicizia, “the Fountain of Friendship,” in the Piazza degli Eroi Canadesi—“the Place of the Canadian Heroes.” Shaped like a maple leaf, the fountain spurts water lit in the colours of both the Canadian and Italian flags, which also billow behind us. A large black granite marker next to the fountain reads, “Canada and Italy: war brought us together, and peace made us friends.”
I burst into tears. Gabriele pulls me into a hug. Across the way are cafes patronized by aging nonni who sit in the sun with their drinks.
