The bombing of the Monastery of Montecassino is one of the most controversial episodes of not only the Italian campaign but of the entire war. Thousands of Allied troops died in the effort to drive the Germans out of the area and the monastery itself - founded by Saint Benedict in 529 AD - was almost completely destroyed.In the period after the war the abbey was magnificently restored on its mountaintop perch. But traces of its wartime destruction can still be found. In this Abbey Tour Then and Now you will learn the 1500 years history of the Monastery and you will visit areas not accessible to the general public. We will visit the Cell of Benedict, a room containing the last of the rubble from the bombing of Monte Cassino and an original part not completely destroyed by WW2 . We will to visit also the WW2 exhibition Now and Then and the museum. It's an amazing trip back to the past and like an book you will be able to read pages that belong to our common history. I am an Historian and Archaeologist: I will lead you into the Past to discover a world known only to the most discerning visitors.
Pick up at Cassino train station and drive to the Abbey of Monte Cassino, ride by comfortable Mercedes van equipped with a large monitor to watch pictures then and now:
- Visit WW2 exhibition at Monte Cassino Abbey
- Visit the Church and cloisters
- Visit the original area not the destroyed by the bombing: the roman ruins and the cell of Saint Benedict
- Visit the chapel of Saint Martin with the stained-glass window donated by WW2 Veterans. Each of the stained glass window has regimental coat of arms of various nationalities.
- The abbey's museum
- Bespoke itinerary or battlefields according to your interest