Searching the Savio River

We liked Ravenna the first time we were here. It is an ancient town but there are good restaurants and shopping, a vehicle-free centre, more Italians than tourists and plenty of dogs to keep us amused.

The reason we returned though was for Laurie to go to the site where his father, Ivor, was "Mentioned In Dispatches" for his bravery being the first one to drive guns across on a raft on the swollen Savio River. He was resupplying Canadian troops forward in formerly German-held territory. This was the battle that earned Smokey Smith of the Seaforth Highlanders out of New Westminster his Victoria Cross   .

We rented a car from a local company and set off in the direction of Cesena. Laurie had done his research and knew that the actual crossing site was at a very small village called Martorano. It was lucky that I happened to see it named on a sign board as we drove because it was not on the map and the GPS did not register it.

We found a way down toward the river, walked along a cycling route on the top of a dyke and peered around. Of course the level of water now is much lower than it was on October 22,1944.  There had been torrential rain all day then - so much water that what could be forded in the morning was impassible in the afternoon.



We had lunch in Cesena and saw a bit of this old Roman fortress town.  We wanted to go to the Canadian War Cemetery here but the local tourist office staff were obviously walkers not drivers.  Their direction would have taken us down a one way the wrong way (mind you that wouldn't have been the first time that day!). We abandoned the search as the streets are a maze of irregular connection and changing names.  We made it back to Ravenna in one piece and spent the rest of the afternoon noshing on ice cream and strolling about.