Italy 1943–1945
Argenta — the Gap
Town and battlefield
The story
Argenta sits on the narrow strip of dry ground between the Reno and the flooded Valli di Comacchio. Once British V Corps took the town on 18 April 1945, armour could pour through the Gap towards Ferrara and the Po, turning the whole German defence line along the rivers. The town was heavily damaged in the fighting.
What to look for
From the Reno embankment at the edge of town, see how thin the corridor of dry land really is.
Plan your visit
Park in the centre; the river embankments can be walked on the service tracks.
Nearby sites
- Argenta Gap War Cemetery · 2 km
- Museo della Battaglia del Senio, Alfonsine · 20 km
- Lake Comacchio — the commandos' battlefield · 29 km
- The Po at Pontelagoscuro, Ferrara · 35 km
- Polish War Cemetery, Bologna (San Lazzaro) · 38 km
- Sacrario dei Partigiani, Piazza del Nettuno, Bologna · 41 km
All 96 sites in Italy 1943–1945 →
Into Europe: Italy 1943–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The places of the Allied campaign in Italy, from the Sicily landings of July 1943 through Salerno, the Winter Line, Ortona, Cassino and Anzio, Rome, the Gothic Line and the final battles on the Senio and the Po in April 1945.
Open the guide