In this area, you can take your car to go from trails to trails to visit the sites of the first large-scale landing operation on the European continent, which took place in the Gulf of Salerno.
In fact, following the surrender of the Italian-German troops in North Africa in May 1943, the Allies decided to attack 'the soft underbelly of Europe'. On 9 September, with Operation Avalanche, the Allies landed on the coast of Campania.
The landing took place in a land arc of about 40 km that included the present-day towns of Pontecagnano, Battipaglia, Capaccio, Paestum and Eboli.
The landing in the Gulf of Salerno was called Operation Avalanche, but was later called an avalanche of errors. Here, the Allies risked being thrown back into the sea like never before during the conflict, and only after suffering heavy losses were they able to begin the advance towards Naples, sixty kilometres further north, where they only entered at the beginning of October.
Nowadays, those who regularly drive through those places certainly find it difficult to picture those sad events in the midst of a large pine forest, bathing establishments, campsites and hotels; yet it is enough not to use the motorway or the main roads and to observe the landscape carefully.
A close look gives us the landscapes of the 'after', and the often tangible evidence of that operation: monuments, plaques, bunkers, destroyed or ruined buildings.
The segments of the route (to be completed in the near future) runs along the different geographical points affected by Operation Avalanche.
Along the way, in addition to the remains of the battle, there are museums and places of remembrance.
The itinerary 'The Places of the Landings and Operation Avalanche' aims to raise awareness of the wartime events that occurred in the Salerno coastline and its hinterland during the ten days of September 1943, starting on 9 September.
