Commonwealth War Cemetery of Cassino — Attraction in Cassino

Nice place to see.The Casino War Cemetery is located in the Casino Commune in the province of Frosinone, 139 km southeast of Rome. Take the Autostrada A1 from Rome to Naples and drop off at the casino exit. Take a roundabout, take the third exit and follow the road signs to the casino. The first of the six clearly visible signs leading to the cemetery and monument can be seen on this road. The cemetery is located about 1 km from the railway station in Vient Angelo. Visitors arriving by train are advised to take a taxi from the station. Cemetery Address: S.C. 03043 Casino (FR) Lazio via Angelo. GPS coordinates: latitude 41.477555, longitude: 13.827141.

On September 3, 1943, the Allies invaded the Italian mainland and re-entered the Allied War with an armory built with the occupied Italians.

Despite strong resistance, progress through southern Italy was rapid, but by the end of October the Allies called the German winter defenses known as the Gustav Line, which stretched from the Garrigliano River in the west to Sangro in the east. Initial attempts to breach the west end of the line failed. The operations in January 1944 landed troops in Anzio behind the German line, but the defense was well organized and did not make any progress until May 18, when the casino was taken over.

The site of the Casino War Cemetery was first selected in January 1944, but the development of the war in the first five months of that year made it unusable until Germany withdrew from the casino. In these early months of 1944, the casino saw the fierce struggle of the Italian campaign, proving the most severe obstacles the city and the dominant Monastery Hill faced in advancing to Rome. Most of those buried in the war cemetery died in the wars of these months.

Burial or commemoration of the 4,271 Commonwealth soldiers of World War II at the Casino War Cemetery. 289 cemeteries are unknown.

Inside the cemetery is the Casino Memorial, a memorial to the more than 4,000 Commonwealth soldiers who took part in the Italian campaign.

The cemetery and memorial were designed by...

We came to the cemetery on a family pilgrimage of 13 people to visit the grave of my husband's grandfather who was killed in the Battle of Montecassino in 1944. I was incredibly moved by my experience. It was so very meaningful to find his grave and to spend some quiet time there. I also spent a long time walking amongst the other graves and reading who the Allied servicemen were, their battalions and where and when they fell. I was particularly moved by the graves which were grouped together - for all of the members of Air Force flight crews who died together when their planes were shot down. There are engraved walls too with names of the servicemen who were lost with no body found to bury and some other striking memorial structures too. There is a little sanctuary space over on the left hand wall of the cemetery with a Visitors' book where you can mark your visit and leave a message. It was incredibly hot when we visited - there are some trees to rest in a bit of shade and the sanctuary gives a reflective, cooler roofed space. "Enjoy" would be the wrong word, but I had a very emotional and meaningful visit which meant a lot to me. It was quite something to be able to show my children their great grandfather's grave and explain to them the bravery and sacrifices made for us to give us our lives and freedom today. I highly...

I think that the experience of visiting the war cemetery might be different for everybody, depending on their nationality, age and willingness to feel into the atrocities of a war. For me it was a huge experience of sadness and anger: so many young men had to die because of the craziness of a dictator! It is a deep experience to see all the gravestones lined up in all directions. It seems endless, the testimony of wasted lives, of suffering,...