Travel Guidebook Describes World War II Sites in Italy
Charleston, SC – A Travel Guide to World War II Sites in Italy, by author Anne Saunders, outlines tours of over one hundred WWII memorial sites in or near major Italian cities, including Rome, Florence, Bologna, Ortona, Rimini, and Trieste. Complete directions to the sites are provided. This handy book also offers historical summaries, maps, transportation tips, and a list of convenient hotels.
The guide’s first chapter summarizes the events leading up to the Italian campaign and its early months, when the Allies battled German armies in Sicily and southern Italy. The second chapter focuses on memorial sites in and around the city of Cassino, where German forces blocked the Allies from advancing for five months in 1944. Visitors may tour the splendid Abbey of Montecassino, which was bombed to rubble in 1944 and has been totally rebuilt. They also are invited to visit Cassino’s war cemeteries and two multimedia museums dedicated to the thousands who died in this area’s intense battles.
Chapter 3 describes Anzio and Nettuno, charming seaside towns less than a hour south of Rome by train. Each has a museum devoted to the landings of Allied forces. Anzio also has two British Commonwealth WWII cemeteries, while Nettuno hosts the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial. In addition, the largest WWII museum in Italy stands only thirty minutes east of Anzio by car.
Chapters 4 and 5 are devoted to memorial sites in Rome, such as the ancient Basilica of San Lorenzo. This beautiful church, damaged by bombs in 1943, was rebuilt soon after the war. Other locations include an apartment building (now museum) used as a prison when the Germans occupied Rome, and the city’s Jewish Museum, whose exhibits in part concern the deportation of Roman Jews to concentration camps.
The second half of the guidebook describes sites in and around Florence, Lucca, Bologna, and selected cities on the Adriatic. Among the many memorable places is Battle Mountain, where Allied and German troops clashed for over a week in the fall of 1944. Today the top of the mountain contains numerous commemorative plaques and statues.
A Travel Guide to World War II Sites in Italy is available in the USA, Canada, the UK, Europe and elsewhere through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, other on-line vendors, and bookstores. See www.travelguidepress.com for more details.
About the Author
Anne Saunders taught at the College of Charleston for over twenty years and has a doctorate from the University of South Carolina. Her previous publications include translations and journal articles. In recent years, her work has focused on the Italian campaign and World War II Italy.
CONTACT
Anne Saunders
E-mail: travelguidepress@gmail.com
Web: www.travelguidepress.com
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