Italy 1943–1945
French Military Cemetery, Venafro
War cemetery (French)
The story
The largest French war cemetery in Italy, with the graves of between about 3,400 and over 5,000 soldiers (sources differ, partly because graves from Naples were moved here in 1990–91) of the French Expeditionary Corps, many of them Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians buried beneath headstones marked for their faith. A detour for those who want to see all the nations who fought for Cassino.
What to look for
Compare the Christian crosses with the Muslim headstones, and read the North African regiments named on them.
Plan your visit
About 30 km east of Cassino on the SS85; allow 35 min each way. Extra for long trips. Check before you go.
Nearby sites
- San Pietro Infine: ruined village and Parco della Memoria Storica · 9 km
- Italian military shrine and museum, Mignano Monte Lungo · 10 km
- Historiale museum, Cassino · 19 km
- Cassino War Cemetery and Memorial · 19 km
- Rocca Janula (Castle Hill), Cassino · 19 km
- 36th Division memorials and the Rapido, Sant'Angelo in Theodice · 19 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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