Anzio was the site of the first Allied landings onmainland Italy in January 1944. The casualties were many and were initiallyburied in what is known as the Beachhead Cemetery. Nearby is another cemetery,the Anzio War Cemetery which has about 1000 Commonwealth war graves. There is afascinating little museum with a display of uniforms, weapons, battle plans andnumerous everyday objects carried by the soldiers, as well as many originalphotographs. At Nettuno is the American Cemetery, a site covering 77 acres; aserene space, rising up a gentle slope from a lake with an island on which is acenotaph, flanked by groups of Italian cypress trees. After lunch, (not included),continue to Montecassino Abbey. Founded by St Benedict in 529 A.D., this wasone of the most important abbeys in Europe. Unfortunately, its strategicposition, high on a mountaintop between Rome and Naples meant that it was aconstant target for warring factions throughout its history. As such, it wasthe obvious base for German troops following the Allied invasion in 1944 andwas so well fortified that it held up the Allied advance for 6 months. It wasonly taken after massive and sustained bombardment from the air. It wascompletely flattened but has since been rebuilt.
