Here are some pictures I took of the German war Cemetery at The Futa Pass which is about 40 miles North of Florence. It is in The Mugello which is one of my favorite parts of Italy. It's very remote and not often visited. The Cemetery is way up on a hill, in the middle of nowhere, all alone.
The Battle in this area was called The Gothic Line Campaign. It's really hard to find any books on this subject, but the people in the area know. The closest big town, Firenzola, was bombed into oblivion by the Brits. The Germans were hiding out there. The local people and their animals walked into the wilderness about 15 miles away. Driving up to Firenzola there is a mountainous area where there are monuments to American fighting forces. You can almost imagine what it was like in those woods, trying to push the Germans back.
The Cemetery is very, very intense. I was surprised to see the plaques to The Panzer Divisions.
It's beautifully done, very austere, and I found myself asking WHY? Why did they follow this mad man to their death.
The sign at the end says it all, "No Picnic".
http://standwheretheyfought.jimdo.com/italy-2012-the-gothic-line-campaign-1944-futa-pass-and-giogo-pass-then-and-now/
http://en.tracesofwar.com/article/3436/German-War-Cemetery-Futa-Pass.htm
http://www.tuscanwanderings.com/futa.html
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