The article narrates a hiking experience in Maiella National Park, where the guide shares a WWII story of New Zealand corporal John Broad and fellow prisoners who escaped a camp and survived due to local families' courage and generosity. As hikers absorb this poignant history against breathtaking landscapes, they find parallels between past and present. The campground Dimore Montane, initially opened in the '90s and closed since 2006, is now being reconsidered for use as the community looks to revive its purpose post-Covid.
In 1943, a band of prisoners, including New Zealand corporal John Broad, fled the camp and spent seven bitter winter months hiding out in caves before eventually making it across British lines.
That they survived was thanks to the kindness and bravery of local families, who risked their own safety, and hunger, to help them stay alive and avoid German patrols.
Lisa told us that Broad later described the impoverished Abruzzesi as the country's true gold, and the sun suddenly sliced through the cloud as though in divine agreement.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, one of the current managers, Simone, came across the camp by chance and discovered that bids to run the site were being invited.
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