Well our trip to the south of Italy ends leaving behind Naples, Sorrento, the Amalfi coast, Capri and Mt Vesuvius. We traveled north-east firstly to Cassino and the Commonwealth War Memorial & Cemetery then onto Assisi.

We arrived in Cassino mid morning and had a walk around the Commonwealth War Memorial and Cemetery erected in memory of those members of the Commonwealth armed forces who died in the the fight to regain Italy which was occupied by the German army in WWII.

On 3 September 1943 the Allies invaded the Italian mainland, the invasion coinciding with an armistice made with the Italians who then re-entered the war on the Allied side.

Progress through southern Italy was rapid despite stiff resistance, but by the end of October, the Allies were facing the German winter defensive position known as the Gustav Line, which stretched from the river Garigliano in the west to the Sangro in the east. Initial attempts to breach the western end of the line were unsuccessful. Operations in January 1944 landed troops behind the German lines at Anzio, but defences were well organised, and a breakthrough was not actually achieved until 18 May, when Cassino was finally taken.

The site for Cassino War Cemetery was originally selected in January 1944, but the development of the battle during the first five months of that year made it impossible to use it until after the Germans had withdrawn from Cassino. During these early months of 1944, Cassino saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Italian campaign, the town itself and the dominating Monastery Hill proving the most stubborn obstacles encountered in the advance towards Rome. The majority of those buried in the war cemetery died in the battles during these months.

There are now 4,266 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated at Cassino War Cemetery. 284 of the burials are unidentified. The fallen were members of the Armed Forces of: the United Kingdom; Canada; New Zealand; South Africa; and Ghurka military units in the Nepalese, British and the Indian armies.

The Memorial was designed by Louis de Soissons and unveiled by Field Marshal The Rt. Hon. The Earl Alexander of Tunis on 30 September 1956.

We continued our travel stopping only for lunch at a roadhouse on the National Highway - the A1.

We were extremely lucky to have been able to get into Assisi and tour St Francis' Basilica as today is the anniversary of St Francis' death and his Feast Day is tomorrow, 4 October as St. Francis is the primary Patron Saint of Italy and the Pope (as usual) will visit the churches in Assisi to celebrate Mass and meet the faithful. Tomorrow is a big day particularly as Pope Francis is the first Pope to take Francis as his papal name and is visiting Assisi to celebrate Mass and visit the churches. Today the town was full of security and media preparing for tomorrow's celebrations.

The Basilica (in fact there are 2 - an upper and lower Basilica) The lower is where St Francis' body is entombed. It has been subject to damage from earthquakes, the most recent in 1997 when 4 people died. This was 3 years before the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year celebrations. Miraculously, repairs were undertaken and completed in time for the Jubilee celebrations in 2000.

Assisi's population is usually only approx. 12,000 but there is expected to be in excess 100,000 pilgrims in town tomorrow.

St. Francis of Assisi was born Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone in 1181-82 and died 3 October 1228, but nicknamed Francesco ("the Frenchman") by his father. He was born and died in Assisi. He was a Catholic friar and preacher and founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women's Order of St. Clare, and the Third Order of Saint Francis for men and women not able to live the lives of itinerant preachers.

We have just seen TV news footage of the preparations for tomorrow's visit and saw members of out tour in the crowd. Bern walked past a Nun being interviewed in the footage - almost a TV celebrity by our reckoning. We also ran into a friend we made during our tour of the UK!

What a magical day - moving and exciting at the same time at both Cassino and Assisi.

Today's insights:
- Mont Cassino is nearby the Commonwealth War Memorial and Cemetery. Atop Mont Cassino.
- St. Benedict of Nursia established his first monastery, the source of the Benedictine Order, around 529AD. It was the site of the Battle of Monte Cassino on 15 February 1944 when the monastery was almost completely destroyed in a series of heavy American led air-raids. The bombing was conducted because many reports from troops on the ground suggested that Germans were occupying the monastery, and it was considered a key observational post. Following the bombing it was discovered that there were no Germans at the Monastery at the time, they had moved out the day before the bombing.

- Although he was never ordained ino the Catholic priesthood, St Francis is one of the most venerated religious figures in history.