The Italian Campaign Featuring Salerno, Anzio & Monte Cassino

Itinerary

12 Day Itinerary

• Day 1

  Local departure by coach or Door-to-Door service, then to northern France for an overnight stay.

• Day 2

  To the Cremona or Milan area for an overnight stay.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 3

  Continue south through Italy, making a stop at Florence War Cemetery en-route to Cassino for a six-night stay.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 4 - Salerno & Caserta

  We start our tour at Salerno, where British forces landed in 1943. We see the beach head and the Roman Ruins where the Americans fought. We visit Salerno War Cemetery, seeing the grave of the great-grandson of the Duke of Wellington, and then on to to the beachhead area, seeing where the British and American troops landed, before taking lunch close to the Greek-Roman ruins at Paestum. In the afternoon, we travel to Caserta, visiting the War Cemetery, looking at the story of Yorkshire and England cricketer, Hedley Verity, and see where General Alexander had his headquarters during the Italian Campaign.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 5 - Monte Cassino

  We travel up to the monastery on Monte Cassino, seeing the incredible view, and visit the Polish War Cemetery. After lunchtime in Cassino, we visit Cassino War Cemetery and the Cassino Memorial. We end the day at the German War Cemetery.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 6 - Hill 593, Snakeshead Ridge & the Liri Valley

  We continue with our look at Monte Cassino with a specially arranged visit to Hill 593 and Snakeshead Ridge, where much of the actual fighting took place. (Please note this will involve some walking). We also walk down to Albaneta Farm and the wreck of a Sherman Tank, now a memorial to Polish troops. After lunch, we look at the fighting in the Liri Valley, seeing the ground at Acquino Aerodrome and looking at the Hitler Line defences between Acquino and Pontecorvo, before ending the day at the Gari/Rapido River, the scene of a disastrous American assault in 1944.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 7 - Anzio

  Today, we look at the Battle of Anzio, seeing the Sicily Rome American War Cemetery at Nettuno before having lunch in the seaside town of Anzio. After lunch, we see the Anzio War Museum, Anzio War Cemetery and the Beachhead Cemetery, before going to the infamous Flyover at Campo di Carne, scene of heavy fighting in 1944.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 8 - Minturno & Cassino Town

  We head south from Cassino and visit Minturno War Cemetery where many of the men who died in the fighting for the high ground at Monte Camino and in the river crossing at the Garigliano are buried. After lunch, we have some free time in Cassino town.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 9 - Sangro & Ortona

  We depart Cassino and head north today, traveling to the Adriatic coast at Ortona, where we have a short walking tour of the town seeing where street-to-street and house-to-house fighting took place. Ortona was a place of great Canadian sacrifice in December 1943. We also visit the war museum and spend lunchtime in the town. In the afternoon, we visit the Canadian dead at the Moro River War Cemetery and end the day in the Sangro Valley and Sangro War Cemetery. From here we travel along the Adriatic coast to our hotel in the Ravenna area, discussing the Gothic Line battles along the way.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 10

  We depart the Ravenna area and cross the area of the final battles in Italy in 1945, pausing for lunch before we continue to our overnight hotel in the Austrian Tyrol.

  Meals - Breakfast, Dinner

• Day 11

  Travel through Germany to Belgium for an overnight stay.

  Meals - Breakfast

• Day 12

  Return home.

  Meals - Breakfast

Accommodation

You will stay for six nights at the 4-star Best Western Hotel Rocca in Cassino. The hotel offers a restaurant, bar, lift and lounge.

Overnight stay in the Ravenna area and in Austria will be in a minimum 3-star hotel.

Overnight stays in northern France, northern Italy and Belgium will be in city-style hotels.