Naples plus The Battle of Monte Cassino.

We arrived in Naples early but it was about 8am before we disembarked. The coach took us back to Rome where our tour started 10 days earlier. We had a rest stop not too far from Cassino on the way. We could see the rebuilt Abbey of Monte Cassino high on a hilltop. War historians might know that the Battle of Monte Cassino (sometimes called the Battle of Rome) was one of the bloodiest battles of WW2 .

The battle was significant because the Allied troops could push forward to Rome if the hill was successfully taken. It also helped to draw Germans away from the Soviet Union and distract them while D-Day plans were being finalized.

Due to incorrect intelligence indicating the German soldiers were set up in the Abbey, the monastery and surrounding areas were bombed. The Allies eventually won the battle after 4 months of brutal fighting and hundreds of civilians from the town of Cassino were killed and homes destroyed due to the bombings. There is a Commonwealth War Cemetery of Cassino but we didn't get to visit. We continued our journey back to Rome and completed our Southern Italy and Sicily Tour.

(The up close photo of the Abbey I 'borrowed'. After our tour guide told us some of the history I read up about the Battle of Monte Cassino and looked at some photos.)Read more