On the morning of the 15th of March 1944, from about 8:30 am, the Allied forces dropped more than 1,250 tons of high-explosive bombs on the city of Cassino. At the end of the bombardment, heavy artillery fire started on the city ruins and the surroundings. In the evening, the city was made only of smoking debris. As soon as the conflict ended, the reconstruction works took place.

The Peace Monument on the slopes of Montecassino dominates the city. Designed by the famous sculptor Umberto Mastroianni, it’s an evocative reproduction of the metallic explosion of a bomb. A warning against any kind of war and a yearning for peace among people.

The Bell was unveiled in 2008 along the riverGari, in Sant’Angelo in Theodice, to honor the fallen soldiers who lost their lives in January 1944 during the famous “Crossing of the Rapido River”, well known as the first battle of Cassino.

In the square “Alcide De Gasperi” you can find the “Memorial for the city of Cassino”, created in memory of the Battles of Cassino (15th January – 18th May 1944), when the Abbey and the city below were almost destroyed, and in which many civilians lost their lives. 

The square also hosts an American tank “M4 Sherman” (restored after the war), a German anti-tank gun “PAK 40” and a plaque honoring the fallen soldiers of the American 34th Infantry Division (Red Bull).

The Martyrology Wall, inaugurated on January 2008, recalls the huge sacrifice of the city during WWII with a long majolica panel upon which pictures and name lists of the victims are placed. While the civilians who lost their lives were 2.000, the service persons were 477. Unfortunately, many of their names are missing, being their remains still unidentified.