Italy Photos 23

The train to Anzio went past whatever this is. It could be an aqueduct. It has the look of one. It was kind of odd seeing modern (well, modernish) houses built right up against the ancient structure.
I have been to band camp but never meat camp. Sounds like a place I would like.
Leaving the train station at Anzio to walk to...
...the Villa Adele. It is where the Anzio Beachhead Museum is located. A man can only look at Roman stuff for so long. It was time for a little World War II.
Three American soldiers. Okay, three mannequins dressed in the uniforms of American soldiers. The one in the middle belonged to Clarence Carlson of Brainerd, Minnesota.
More Nazi stuff. Did I mention how much I hate Nazis?
The guy on the left looks well (if not a little girly) and the guy on the right looks ill.
German propaganda aimed at American GI's. On the right is some American military currency.
I don't need to write anything. Just read it.
The uniform of SSG Joe Loden, who participated in the Anzio landing.
Aaaahhh!!! More Nazis!!!
Now the Brits. The mannequin in the middle is missing some digits on his left hand. One of two things is the case. Either the fingers simply broke off of the mannequin or it was modeled after the real soldier who lost his fingers and they wanted it to be as realistic as possible.
Speaking of Brits, here they are having their tea. Even during war, you have to stop for teatime.
Time for a little history. Operation Shingle was the name of the Allied landing at Anzio and Nettuno on January 22, 1944 as part of the Italian Campaign. By 1943 the Kingdom of Italy had signed an armistice with the Allies but the Germans still controlled most of the northern part of the country, having set up a puppet state in the Italian Social Republic. In 1943, the Allies had managed to capture Sicily and parts of southern Italy but were struggling to advance north. The Anzio landing was intended to help break the German lines and support the push toward Rome. The landing was successful and after several more months of fighting Rome was captured in June.
Of all the newspapers they could have displayed, they have the Tampa Daily Times. As a former Floridian I thought that was kind of neat.
Yeah, I know. More Roman stuff. But as I was leaving the side of the villa that held the Beachhead Museum a little old woman talked me into visiting the museum on the other side. How can anyone turn down a little old Italian woman?
Since my time was limited, I didn't spend a lot of time here. It wasn't very big either. The museum that is, not this guy's wedding tackle.
The woman did seem rather proud of the place. All the stuff was local.
Now is when those two hours at the Vatican really put me behind on the day. Instead of spending more time at Anzio I would pretty much be reduced to a hit-and-run visit. So after the museums I headed down to the coast.
The sun is beginning to set.
The fisherman is folding up his net. Is that right? Do fishermen fold nets? I really don't know. I didn't watch him too long.
Over there is Nettuno, where I would be going a little later.
I rather liked Anzio. It looked clean and orderly, unlike some of the other towns I'd seen.
Do not go beyond the yellow line. And they mean it too. Look at that figure of the man who had his lower leg chopped off for doing it.
Most of the reason to get to Nettuno was to visit the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial.
The trouble was that since I got there so late in the day it was closed. I didn't note ahead of time when it closed. After all, I was planning to get there earlier. I tried to find out on my phone but I wasn't getting good network connection. I thought perhaps that it would shut at sundown, which as you can see was just about now (6:30ish) but the sign on the gate said it closed at 5:30. All that rushing for nothing.
So I took a few pictures through the gate at the headstones marking the graves of those brave soldiers who paid the ultimate price to liberate Italy and defeat those Nazi bastards.
Somehow appropriately right across from the cemetery is a McDonalds. No fooling.
So it would be about an hour until the next train back to Rome, so I wandered around Nettuno after dark. This is the Chiesa di San Giovanni in the Borgo Medievale section of the town.
There wasn't much going on in the old medieval quarter after sunset.
Can't beat the view, though.
I did walk out onto the beach to stick my hand in the Mediterranean.
An interesting fact about Nettuno is that they have a fairly successful baseball team. You see, not only did our soldiers bring freedom to Italy but also our national pastime.
The train station at Nettuno wasn't as nice as the one at Anzio.
Not a lot of people travelling from Nettuno to Rome at 7:30 at night.
Didn't get anything to eat earlier, so a late pizza and a FaceTime call to my father on my iPad before turning in for the night.

TO CITTÀ DEL VATICANO