Italy 1943–1945
Sicily 1943: WWII sites to visit
Operation Husky began on 10 July 1943, when the American Seventh Army and the British Eighth Army landed on the south and east coasts of Sicily, after night drops by Allied airborne troops.
After five weeks of fighting through the mountains and along the coast, the campaign ended when Allied troops entered Messina on 17 August 1943. Below are the places from our free Into Europe guide in Sicily.
Sicily
82nd Airborne memorial, Ponte Dirillo
Memorial · allow 1 h
The main American memorial to the Sicily campaign, beside the SS115 where it crosses the Acate (Dirillo) river. It lists paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne killed nearby;
Agira Canadian War Cemetery, Agira
War cemetery (CWGC) · allow 45 min
Sicily's only Canadian war cemetery, where the Canadian dead of the island were gathered: 490 Canadians killed in Sicily lie on a hilltop above Lake Pozzillo, looking across to Agira and Etna.
Bark West beach, Maucini
Landing beach · allow 45 min
Where the 1st Canadian Infantry Division began Canada's part in the Italian campaign. The beach is almost unchanged: low dunes, shallow water and the offshore sandbars that grounded some landing craft.
Capo Peloro, Torre Faro
Coastline · allow 30 min
The narrowest point of the Strait, about three kilometres across. The German ferry routes ran from the beaches between here and Messina; the flak batteries around the Strait kept Allied aircraft at bay.
Catania War Cemetery, Catania
War cemetery (CWGC) · allow 45 min
About 2,135 Commonwealth soldiers are buried here, many killed at Primosole and in the fighting for the Catania plain;
Centuripe, Enna
Viewpoint · Hill town · allow 30 min
The 38th (Irish) Brigade of the British 78th Division stormed this cliff-top town on 2–3 August against German paratroopers.
Gela seafront and pier, Gela
Landing beach · allow 45 min
Heart of the American landings. The Rangers attacked the town directly while the 1st Infantry Division landed on the beaches to the east.
German War Cemetery, Motta Sant'Anastasia
War cemetery (Volksbund) · allow 45 min
The German war cemetery for Sicily: 4,561 dead, 451 of them unidentified, in a walled vault building at the foot of Etna. Among them is Luz Long, the long jumper who befriended Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics.
Landing beach, Sant'Agata di Militello
Landing beach · allow 30 min
Patton's first amphibious 'end run' landed Bernard's 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry, here at 03:15 on 8 August. They achieved surprise, but most of the Germans had already pulled back from the San Fratello line.
Landing beaches, Licata
Landing beach · allow 30 min
The westernmost Allied landing. Major General Lucian Truscott's US 3rd Infantry Division came ashore on beaches either side of Licata at dawn on 10 July and took the town and its small harbour on the first day, which quickly…
Monte Cipolla, Brolo
Battlefield · allow 45 min
The second 'end run'. Bernard's battalion landed at Brolo on 11 August and held Monte Cipolla for a day against the 29th Panzergrenadier Division, losing 177 men, before the rest of the 3rd Division broke through the Naso ridge…
Museo Storico dello Sbarco in Sicilia 1943, Catania
Museum · allow 1 h 30 min
Sicily's main museum of the 1943 campaign, in the converted sulphur works of Le Ciminiere.
Operation Husky monument, Pachino
Memorial · allow 15 min
A modern monument in front of the town hall recalls the landings on the beaches south and east of Pachino by the Canadians, the 51st Highland Division and other units of Eighth Army. A quick stop on the way north to Syracuse.
Piano Lupo crossroads, near Gela
Battlefield · allow 30 min
The road junction the 505th paratroopers were meant to seize on the night of 9–10 July.
Ponte Grande, Syracuse
Bridge · allow 30 min
The objective of the first large British glider operation of the war. A few dozen men held this bridge for most of 10 July until the last fifteen unwounded defenders surrendered at 15:30, less than an hour before the relief force…
Primosole Bridge, Simeto river
Bridge and memorial · allow 30 min
Scene of the battle between British and German paratroopers on 13–16 July. Holding this bridge meant opening the road to Catania; losing it cost Montgomery three weeks on the plain beyond.
Robert Capa Photography Museum, Troina
Museum · allow 1 h 15 min
Troina was the scene of the hardest American battle in Sicily. The museum in the Palazzo Pretura shows 62 prints by Robert Capa, who photographed the fighting and the ruined town.
Sacrario di Cristo Re, Messina
Military shrine · allow 45 min
Italy's military shrine for Messina holds the remains of some 1,288 Italian soldiers of the Second World War and 110 of the First.
San Fratello ridge, San Fratello
Viewpoint · Battlefield · allow 30 min
From 3 to 8 August the German 29th Panzergrenadier Division held the US 3rd Division on this ridge above the Furiano river.
Syracuse War Cemetery, Syracuse
War cemetery (CWGC) · allow 45 min
About 1,060 Commonwealth soldiers lie here, most killed in the landings and the first days ashore, including many glider-borne men of Operation Ladbroke.
Questions
How many places are there to visit?
This page lists 20 places from the free Into Europe: the Allied campaign in Italy guide, each with its story, what you can see today, how to visit and GPS directions.
How much time do I need?
Allowing the suggested time at each place adds up to about 14 hours on site, plus driving between them. Plan on about 3 days to see everything, or pick the places that matter most to you. The guide's tour planner puts any selection in driving order.
Do I need to book?
Most places can be visited without booking. 1 of them need booking or can only be seen on a guided visit; they are marked “Booking needed” below. For 6 places we checked opening times and prices on official websites in September 2026; open each place to see them. Opening times change, so check before you travel.
Can I visit every site?
Some places, especially open fields, are on private land: view them from the road or a public path. Cemeteries and memorials are places of remembrance first.
Is the guide free, and does it work without signal?
Yes. The Into Europe: the Allied campaign in Italy guide is free and works on your phone with no signal once it has been opened, with maps, stories and a tour planner. There is nothing to install from an app store.
More trip ideas
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- Bastogne & Battle of the Bulge sites to visitBois Jacques foxholes, Foy, Bastogne
- Band of Brothers sites in Germany & AustriaLandsberg, Berchtesgaden, the Eagle's Nest
- D-Day sites in NormandyThe five beaches, batteries, museums
All 96 sites in Italy 1943–1945 →
Into Europe: the Allied campaign in Italy
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