Generale infos...
In Foiano della Chiana, in the Commonwealth War Cemetery, the remains of 256 soldiers rest. Men and young boys who came to fight thousands of kilometers from home, engaged in a war that we have a duty to remember and pass on to future generations1 .
Foiano della Chiana War Cemetery contains 256 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. It was designed by Louis de Soissons.
Access
The cemetery is permanently open and may be visited at any time. Wheelchair access is possible through an alternative entrance. For further information and enquiries contact enquiries@cwgc.org
Geographical position
The cemetery is at Renzino, a hamlet of Foiano della Chiana, 31 kilometres south of Arezzo. Take the A1 motorway and exit at Val di Chiana–Bettolle. From Foiano della Chiana continue towards Arezzo; on this road the Commission's sign can be seen on the right. The cemetery lies in the fields about 50 metres along a lane.2 .
Address: Via del Porto 2 – 52045 Foiano della Chiana (Arezzo). GPS coordinates: latitude 43.262020590215, longitude 11.822384162093.
History
On 3 September 1943 the Allies invaded the Italian mainland, the invasion coinciding with an armistice with the Italians, who then re-entered the war on the Allied side.
Progress through southern Italy was rapid despite stiff resistance, but the advance was held up for several months at the German winter defensive position known as the Gustav Line. The line finally fell in May 1944 and, as the Germans withdrew, Rome was taken by the Allies on 4 June. In early July there was heavy fighting in the Val di Chiana, where the Germans once again resisted stubbornly in front of Arezzo and the Arno.
The British cemetery at Foiano della Chiana is a battle cemetery, originally formed by men of the 4th Division, later enlarged with burials brought in from all over the Val di Chiana and the Valdarno.
Most of the burials in the cemetery date from the first two weeks of July 1944.
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1. See F. BELLACCI, https://www.lavaldichiana.it/i-segreti-del-cimitero-monumentale-di-foiano-della-chiana-quarta-parte/.
2. https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/164601/santerno-valley-war-cemetery/
