Italy 1943–1945
Florence War Cemetery, Girone
Commonwealth war cemetery
The story
In the Arno valley just east of the city, this cemetery holds 1,632 Commonwealth burials, most of them men killed between July and September 1944 in the approach to Florence and the fighting on the Arno line. The site was chosen in November 1944 for burials from nearby hospitals; 83 graves were later moved here from the Arrow Route cemetery.
What to look for
Look for the regimental badges of British, South African, New Zealand and Indian units carved on the headstones.
Plan your visit
CWGC site on the main road at Girone, 2 km towards Pontassieve from the Firenze Sud ring road; bus A14 from Santa Maria Novella to the Girone terminus. Free; the gates are locked outside working hours (roughly 07:30/08:00 to 15:30/16:00 with a lunch break), with a code lock — check before you go.
- Open
- Any time; gates locked outside gardeners' hours (winter 08:00–15:30, summer 07:30–16:00) – code 1221, per CWGC
- Parking
- Large gravel car park about 100 m from the entrance, plus street parking nearby
- Access
- Main areas reached only by steps; paths among the graves are flat grass
Checked September 2026 from official sources: cwgc.org. Things change, so check before you travel.
Nearby sites
- Palazzo Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria, Florence · 7 km
- Ponte Vecchio and the demolished quarter, Florence · 7 km
- Florence American Cemetery, Tavarnuzze · 14 km
- MuGot — Museo Gotica Toscana, Ponzalla · 28 km
- Il Giogo Pass and Monte Altuzzo · 31 km
- German War Cemetery, Futa Pass · 37 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.
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