Along the way you will find monuments, two museums and the intriguing village of Rochetta a Volturno.Rochetta a Volturno is a medieval settlement that was deserted after a series of landslides in the region. The village was then destroyed by US troops in the summer of 1944 for the recording of a documentary.Don't miss this opportunity to explore one of the most fascinating and scenic trails in Italy!

Italy

Exterior view of Battiloro Palace 

Rocchetta a Volturno

Rochetta to Monte Marrone

The Battle of Monte Marrone on 31 March 1944 is a crucial military episode in the definition of the conflict between the Allies and the Germans along the Gustav Line. By conquering the summit of the Mainarde massif, the Allies were able to easily move towards the town of Cassino, whose liberation paved the way for the reconquest of the Italian capital. The military operation was planned and entirely carried out by Italian troops. Given the stalemate in the conflict, partly due to the dreaded impregnability of Monte Marrone's peak, which was permanently garrisoned by Nazi soldiers, General Umberto Utili drew up an operational plan aimed at achieving the surprise effect. The First Motorised Regiment stationed in the upper Volturno valley was reinforced in mid-March 1943 by the entry into its ranks of the Alpine Battalion Piedmont from Apulia. Then, in view of the experience of the Alpine troops, Utili developed the new strategy of assaulting the enemy-held peak. The general planned to climb the rock faces during the night in order to take the German troops by surprise. The operation authorised by the Allied command was carried out by the Alpine soldiers of the Piemonte Battalion from the early morning hours of 31 March 1944. In just a few hours, the Alpine troops covered a distance of around 700 metres in total darkness, reaching the peak at around 6.00 a.m. and taking the Nazis by surprise, forcing them to surrender. The battle was minor and resulted in no major damage. However, an important step in the advance of the Allied armies towards the nerve centre of Cassino, whose liberation eventually led directly to Rome, was the conquest of Monte Marrone.Furthermore, the Battle certified the contribution of the Italian army, whose contribution was also recognised by the Supreme Allied Command, which approved the establishment of a new unit to replace the First Motorised Regiment. The Italian Liberation Corps was established on the Molise side of the Mainarde mountains. It was an entity comprising all Italian soldiers involved in the campaign to liberate the country from Nazi-fascism.

The Battle of Monte Marrone

Thanks to its exhibition, the Italian Liberation Corps Museum 'Aldo Moro', which opened in 2018, honours the contribution of Italian fighters involved in the conquest of the Gustav Line during 1943-1944. The museum's historical project was launched many years earlier thanks to the valuable contribution of local historians, who were committed to bringing back to the territory the achievements of the difficult years during WWII in Molise. The Museum is laid out according to a subdivision of seven pavilions located in as many rooms, dedicated both to the most significant events that characterised the life of the Italian military unit and to the different phases of the conflict along the Gustav Line. In particular, emphasis is given through the exhibition of artefacts, writings, materials belonging to the soldiers and the projection of videos to the active contribution made by the Italians within the scheme of the Cobelligerence.A pavilion is dedicated to the arrival of Aldo Moro near Scapoli on 22 April 1968 to commemorate the anniversary of the establishment of the CIL. The name of the museum is also dedicated to this well-known statesman.In the town of Scapoli, one can also visit Palazzo dei Marchesi Battiloro, seat of the Command of military operations, and the monuments and commemorative plaques dedicated to the CIL fallen soldiers, located in the town's historic centre.

Museum of the Italian Liberation Corps 'Aldo Moro'

The Monument to the Italian Liberation Corps represents a permanent commemoration of the Italian soldiers who fell during WWII, particularly during the period following the armistice with the Allies. The installation consisting of adjacent marble cubes, each dedicated to one of the twenty Italian regions, symbolises one of the most significant military feats performed by Italian soldiers along the Gustav Line. Between 30 and 31 March 1944, with a plan drawn up by General Umberto Utili and approved by the Allied command, a platoon of soldiers from the Piedmont Alpine Battalion climbed the unconquerable peak of Monte Marrone in the early hours of the morning. The German soldiers guarding the high ground were taken by surprise and were captured. The conquest of the peak opened the way for the Allied troops to Cassino and then Rome. This important success sanctioned the definitive recognition of the autonomy of the Italian battalions of the First Motorised Regiment united under a new formation, called the Italian Liberation Corps.The artwork was created in 1974 by Vittorio Viotti, a sculptor and partisan. Every year, 25 April becomes a meeting place and commemoration for the entire Molise community.Near the CIL war memorial, you can visit the memorial of the Partisan and writer Giame Pintor, who as a young 24-year-old perished by jumping on a landmine during a resistance operation against the Germans in December 1943.At the heights of Monte Marrone, it is possible to carry out trekking and rock-climbing itineraries by appointment, thanks to the activities of a number of local associations.Finally, just before arriving at the Monument, art lovers can visit the house where the painter Charles Lucine Moulin chose to spend the last years of his life away from the city, in contact with nature.

Monte Marrone - Monument to the Italian Liberation Corps

The ancient village of Castelnuovo al Volturno, the oldest and most populous hamlet of Rocchetta a Volturno, symbolises one of the most peculiar episodes during the Allied armies' conquest of the Gustav Line. Located in the strategic valley on the slopes of Monte Marrone, the village, which is extremely distinctive due to its conformation, was evacuated in June 1944 by US troops. The fiercest phase of the conflict had by now gradually left the upper Volturno area and moved towards the Italian capital, yet US troops exploited the phase of apparent calm to carry out a highly unusual operation. Starting on 5 June 1944, the US military issued a proclamation to the population ordering all residents to leave their homes as soon as possible. The pretext used was that of a disinfestation procedure which would occupy the troops for the next two weeks. In reality, the Americans realised the total abandonment of the hamlet and implemented a different plan. On 17 June, a real combat film was staged, with scenarios and elements of war as realistic as possible, documented by filmmakers and under precise direction. The village was subjected to gunfire, artillery barrages, and explosions, all filmed, edited and later played as docufilms in US cinemas, in order to emphasise the role of US troops in the liberation of Europe. However, the price paid by the population and the small village was the destruction of about 85% of the houses. Today, the remains of that tragic episode can be seen in the streets of the old village, where, among the remains of the old buildings bearing the signs of the past, one can appreciate spaces dedicated to the memory of the events of June 1944.&nbsp;

Ancient Village of Castelnuovo al Volturno

The International Museum of World Wars in Rocchetta Volturno, founded in 2010 on the initiative of a local association, has become one of the main reference points of museology related to world conflicts. Located on the slopes of Monte Marrone, along the route of the Gustav Line, the Museum devotes special attention to the reconstruction of the wartime events that characterised the crossing of central-southern Italy by Allied armies and German troops between 1943 and 1945. The museum's pavilions, organised according to different historical periods and fighting armies, allow full immersion in the tangible, cruel and human history that stretched from the difficult conquest of the positions on the Gustav Line to the liberation of the peninsula. The exhibition is divided into areas covering a total of 900 square metres, with outdoor hangars housing aircraft, military vehicles and heavy artillery elements as well as a technical room with over 150 original weapons. The facility is completed by a well-stocked library-archive open for study and consultation by enthusiasts and scholars of the historical periods covered by the exhibition halls. The museum has now become the hub of cultural life for the Upper Volturno community with frequent seminars, conferences and presentations. The Migm has also established formal collaborations with academic research facilities as well as with the Historical Archives of the Italian Army General Staff.

Il piazzale interno del Museo Internazionale delle Guerre Mondiali

Museo Internazionale delle Guerre Mondiali

Escursione

Liberation Route Europe is a Council of Europe certified cultural route connecting people, places and events in order to remember the liberation of Europe from Nazi-Fascist occupation during the Second World War and to reflect on the long-term consequences of the war through a scientific and pluralistic approach.With hundreds of sites and stories in nine European countries, the route connects the main regions along the axis followed by the Allied forces in 1943-1945.LRE Italy is proud to present a new touristic and cultural proposal the “Liberation Route Europe Trails in Italy”. This ambitious project aims to create an Italian system of memorial trails from North to South and connecting the regions affected by the liberation of Italy.You can discover and visit museums, monuments and landmarks while discovering moving stories and the very first Liberation Route Italy themed routes.