Monte Marrone - Monument to the Italian Liberation Corps

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.