Florence American 

Cemetery and Memorial

American Battle Monuments Commission

For more information on this site and other 

ABMC commemorative sites, please visit 

www.abmc.gov

American Battle Monuments Commission

2300 Clarendon Boulevard

Suite 500

Arlington, VA 22201 

USA

Florence American Cemetery

Via Cassia, km 286

50023 Impruneta

Firenze, Italy

tel +39.055.202.0020 

gps N43 41.522 E11 12.551 

key: Military Cemetery Parachute Drop

Officers of the 92nd Infantry Division plan crossing 

of the Arno River, Sep. 1, 1944.

Photo: The National Archives

From Rome to the Alps and Victory

Florence American Cemetery and Memorial

The cemetery site was liberated by the 6th South African 

Armored Division of the U.S. Fifth Army, on August 3, 1944. 

It lies astride the Greve River and is framed by wooded hills. 

The government of Italy granted its free use as a permanent 

burial ground in perpetuity without charge or taxation.

American Battle Monuments Commission

This agency of the United States government operates 

and maintains 25 American cemeteries and 26 memorials, 

monuments and markers in 16 countries. The Commission 

works to fulfill the vision of its first chairman, General of 

the Armies John J. Pershing. Pershing, commander of the 

American Expeditionary Forces during World War I, promised 

that “time will not dim the glory of their deeds.”

MA

ER

CI AN BATTLE MONUMENTS COM

M SI S OI N

UNITED STATES

OF AMERICA
from rome to the 

alps and victory

After the liberation of Rome on June 5, 1944, the U.S. Fifth Army 

and British Eighth Army, supported by the Mediterranean Allied 

Air Forces (MAAF), pushed northward toward the Gothic Line. 

That was a major German defense taking advantage of the 

Apennines that separate central Italy from the Po Valley.

July 18, 1944: The 361st Infantry Regiment of the 91st Infantry 

Division was the first unit to reach the Arno River. 

July 19: U.S. forces, including the 442nd Regimental Combat 

Team, seized the port of Leghorn. 

August 4: Florence fell to the Allies.

August 25: Eighth Army attacked the eastern half of the Gothic 

Line. Fifth Army attacked the western half soon after.

Mid-October: The northward drive halted south of Bologna. 

Shortages of personnel and supplies, and the onset of severe 

weather contributed.

April 9, 1945: Heavy and medium bombers of the MAAF pounded 

German positions defending Bologna as Eighth Army resumed 

the offensive. Fifth Army joined the effort on April 14.

April 17: 10th Mountain Division pierced German defenses 

south of Bologna, opening the way forward.

April 21: Bologna fell to the Fifth Army.

April 25: 10th Mountain Division approached Verona.

April 27: The 92nd Infantry Division entered Genoa. 

From there, U.S. units struck northwestward to link 

up with French Resistance forces.

May 2: All German forces in Italy surrendered.

The long and bloody Allied campaign liberated Italy and contributed 

to the success of campaigns elsewhere in Europe.

Standing Watch

The sculpture of a soldier of the 

363rd Regiment, 91st Infantry 

Division, stands watch over the 

graves of the fallen.

Entrance Gate

Entrance gates of the Florence 

American Cemetery welcome 

visitors arriving off the Via 

Cassia from north or south. 

Tuscan cypress trees flank 

the gates.

Medal of Honor 

Recipient

Headstones of 

recipients of the Medal 

of Honor are inscribed 

in gold lettering, as this 

one marking the grave of Sgt. Roy W. Harmon.

Graves Area

The 4,398 headstones 

in eight plots radiate 

in gentle arcs from the 

memorial pylon. Their 

array enhances the 

harmonious relationship between the graves area 

and the memorial.

Tablets of the 

Missing

Names and particulars 

of 1,409 persons missing 

in action appear on 

tablets connecting the 

memorial’s north and south atria. A Medal of 

Honor recipient’s name is inscribed in gold. 

Spirit of Peace

The sculpture 

representing the spirit 

of peace surmounts the 

pylon in front of the 

memorial. The figure 

hovers over the fallen, bearing olive branches.

dimensions: 70 acres

headstones: 4,398

latin crosses: 4,322

stars of david: 76

missing in action: 1,409

unknowns: 213

multiple burials: 2 headstones 

with 2 remains, and 1 with 3

sets of brothers: 5

medal of honor recipient:

2 interred, and 1 memorialized

dedicated: July 25, 1960

Useful Information

Visitor Building

Here you can meet our staff, 

get your questions answered, 

and sign the guest register.

Guidons of the 100th Infantry Battalion, 

442nd Regimental Combat Team, 

July 27, 1944.

Photo: The National Archives

From the Via Cassia entrances, the crescent drive leads to parking 

near the visitor building. The graves area and memorial are 

reached via a small bridge over the Greve River.

Layout

Headstone Location

plot: 

row: 

grave: