Description of the attraction
The Sicilian-Roman American Cemetery and Memorial is the cemetery where the American soldiers who died during the Second World War are buried. Founded as a temporary military cemetery in January 1944, just two days after the Allied landings at Anzio and Nettuno, today it covers an area of 31 hectares. A vast reservoir with an island in the center and a cenotaph is framed by rows of Italian cypress trees, and behind it are the graves of almost 8 thousand soldiers. The tombs are located in graceful arches on a wide lawn among rows of Roman pines.
Most of these soldiers died during the liberation of Sicily during Operation Husky in August 1943. Also buried here are soldiers killed during the landing in Salerno in September 1943 (Operation Avalanche), and during the Anzio-Nettun operation in January-May 1944.
A wide central alley leads to the Memorial, which is rich in art and architectural elements that express America's memory of the lost sons. The memorial consists of a chapel, a peristyle - a platform surrounded by a colonnade, and a hall with a map. The chapel's white marble walls are engraved with the names of 3,095 missing soldiers, and the rosettes bear the names of those found and identified over the years. In the hall with the map there is a bronze bas-relief depicting a map and four fresco maps depicting the military operations to liberate Sicily and Italy. An ornamental Italian garden is laid out around the Memorial.
The Sicilian-Roman American Cemetery is located at the northern end of the town of Nettuno, 61 km from Rome. You can get here via the Via Pontia highway.
