NETTUNO

Altitude 11 m. 40,000 inhabitants

Medieval walled town of the XIV century and modern area with marina

According to tradition, it was founded by refugees from the Saracen raids of the ninth century who took refuge in the ruins of a Temple of Neptune that perhaps was on the site of the present Collegiate Church of St. John

Forte Sangallo

Sangallo’s Fort

1496/1503 Antonio Giamberti aka Antonio da Sangallo the Elder (about 1460/1534) maybe from drawings of his brother Giuliano Giamberti aka Giuliano da Sangallo (1445/1516) for Alexander VI Borgia (1492/1503)

In those days it was a state-of-the-art defensive fortress against the weapons of the time and it was part of a well-structured defense system, which used to connect the coastal towers, from the Fortress of Ostia to Tor San Lorenzo, Torre d'Anzio until Torre Astura

Quadrangular structure of 320 m² (3,400 square feet) equipped with four bastions perfectly squared

The walls have a thickness of 5 m (16.4 feet)

The height varies between 18 and 25 meters (59-82 feet)

It houses the MUSEO DELLO SBARCO ALLEATO (Museum of the Allied Landing) opened in 1990 with furnishings, uniforms, helmets, photographs, maps, reports of war correspondents, movies, copies of old newspapers and war material found in the area

ANTIQUARIUM with tools and prehistoric finds dating back to 400,000 years ago

S. Francesco

St. Francis

Church founded in the thirteenth century, according to tradition, by St. Francis of Assisi himself

MAIN ALTAR

“Madonna and Child with Saints” early work of Andrea Sacchi (1599/1661) from Nettuno

Collegiata di S. Giovanni

Collegiate Church of St. John

Medieval church

Rebuilt in the years 1738/48 by Carlo Marchionni (1702/86)

Cimitero dei Caduti Americani

Cemetery of the Fallen Americans

Here rest in peace 7,862 fallen of which 490 with no name

At the back of the park there is a MONUMENT and an area divided in two sections:

WESTERN SECTION where there are the names of the fallen

EASTERN SECTION where the arrival of the Allies in Italy is documented

In the CHAPEL there are the names of 2,031 airmen and 1,063 sailors all lost

Two presidents of the United States of America came here to commemorate their fallen: George Bush, in 1989, on the occasion of Memorial Day, and Bill Clinton, in 1994, for the 50^th anniversary of the landing of June 22, 1944 in which participated 146 landing boats, supported by seven cruisers, 24 destroyers, and 96 other units

Santuario di Nostra Signora delle Grazie e di S. Maria Goretti

Shrine of Our Lady of Grace and St. Maria Goretti

Small church of the XVI century, restored in 1718 and in 1868

It was re-opened in 1914 by Pius X Sarto (1903/14) after being closed for six years due to damage caused by a sea storm

In 1966 another sea storm was the reason of another closure

New reopening in 1969

It houses the CRYPT OF St. MARIA GORETTI killed in 1902 just before her 12^th birthday following an attempted rape by a neighbor of her. She was canonized in 1950

Inside the crypt there is the “Wooden statue of Our Lady of Grace”:

Tradition has it that the wooden statue, landed on the coast of Nettuno in 1550 coming from England, after the Anglican schism. The statues of the Virgin Mary and other saints were on a ship directed to Naples, but, after a storm, it landed in Nettuno. The statue of Our Lady of Grace, St. Roch and St. Sebastian and were placed in the small Church of the Annunciation before the current sanctuary was built