Publisher's Synopsis
This book is a sequel to the 2014 South Mountain Expeditions tour that led to the first three books in the "Walking Tour" series. This fourth book covers World War II in Rome and the battlefields from north of Rome to Bologna. This book was added to cover the advance of Allied forces after the liberation of Rome, the taking of Florence, and the Eighth Army's penetration of the Gothic line through the Argenta Gap. The impact of World War II on Rome: the Eighth Army's offensive strategy; Albert Kesselring's defensive-line selection and delay strategy; the impact of 1940's military technology; the endemic role of the terrain and weather; and the emotional impact of the thousands of graves that represent only a small fraction of the human price for Italian freedom from tyranny, all come to life in this story. This book presents a narrative description of a history tour whose transcribed quotes and images were derived from unrestricted video footage of the people and their words recorded on the tour, as well as Frank de Planta's detailed notes.
