Before the Allies landed in Sicily (HUSKY) and Italy (AVALANCHE), the had first to secure a base in North Africa. This was accomplished through the landings of Operation TORCH in Morocco and Algeria in November 1942. After the initial successes in the landing areas, the campaign turned into a very tough slog through the winter in the mountains of Tunisia. However, with springtime came a renewed drive and the combined British First (Anderson) and Eighth (Montgomery) armies, along with the US II Corps (Patton, then Bradley) and a French Expeditionary Corps, defeated the Axis armies under Rommel, von Arnim and Kesselring. Coinciding with the Russian victory at Stalingrad, it was a mortal loss for the Germans. By May 1943, Tunisia had fallen, and the Allies were prepared to descend on Italy. This pre-trip will focus on the final battles for the capture of Tunis, along with an examination of the ancient Roman-Carthage struggle for Mediterranean hegemony.

We meet for lunch at our Tunis lodgings. Some guests will have arrived the night prior and others this morning at Tunis-Carthage International Airport. We will arrange transfer to our lodgings. At lunch we will have an overview of the campaign and trip itinerary. In the afternoon we will make a historic tour of central Tunis, crossroads of empires for millennia. Group social hour and dinner.

Today, we head west of Tunis, into the high ground of the Atlas and to visit the final breaking of the German defensive line by the combined American, British and French forces.  Battle sites include Hill 609, Longstop Hill, and Hill 232.  Breaking the extremely tough line proved costly but once through, the race was on to Bizerte, Tunis and victory. Lunch on the battlefields and social hour and dinner back in Tunis

We visit the beautiful American Cemetery in Carthage, where the American Battle Monuments Commission built a 27-acre Cemetery and Memorial. Here rest 2,841 of our military dead, their headstones set in straight lines subdivided into nine rectangular plots by wide paths, with decorative pools at their intersections. Along the southeast edge of the burial area, bordering the tree-lined terrace leading to the memorial is the Wall of the Missing. On this wall 3,724 names are engraved. From here we fly from Tunis to Rome and Rome to Catania, Sicily. Bus transport to our lodgings

After arrival at Catania International Airport in Sicily, we greet our guests at the hotel. Free time is available to settle in, spend time in the hotel or enjoy a walk around town. The expedition’s events begin in the evening with a welcome social hour, dinner and overview of the tour program.

We tour the landing sites of Operation HUSKY from Gela to Licata, followed by a visit to the memorial dedicated to the 82nd Airborne close to the Ponte Dirillo Bridge. In the afternoon we explore the British and Canadian landing sites on the Gulf of Noto.

In the morning we visit the Historical Museum of the Landings in Catania, one of the best WWII museums in the world. Afterwards we take a walking tour in the Baroque city center. In the afternoon we visit the Commonwealth War Cemetery located in a grove just outside of Catania with a view of Mount Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe. From here we go to the valley of Motta St. Anastasia to visit the German War Mausoleum. Dinner on your own in Catania this evening.

We take a short flight across the azure waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea from Catania to Naples and then take the bus for the quick trip down the coast to Paestum. We tour the beaches of Operation AVALANCHE in the Paestum area related to the Salerno landings. We will also visit the spectacular Greek and Roman ruins here.

We start the day visiting the landing beaches and battle sites near Anzio and Nettuno, the site of the amphibious landing of Operation SHINGLE in January 1944. We will also pay our respects at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, where 7,862 American soldiers are interred in a spectacularly beautiful setting. We then head to Rome for the night.

We tour the Eternal City with visits to sites of its thousands of years of history, including those related to World War II.

Since no visit to Rome can be complete without seeing the Colosseum and the Forum, we discover the most important ancient remains of the Italian capital on a guided tour. In the afternoon we offer free time and a chance to other famous sites like the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. Dinner on your own this evening.

In the morning, we will visit St Peter’s Basilica, including Michelangelo’s sublime La Pietà, tour the Vatican, including Michelangelo’s incomparable Sistine Chapel. Nearby, we’ll visit the Museo Nazionale di Castel Sant’Angelo. Next, we’ll visit San Pietro in Vincoli, home of Michelangelo’s statue of Moses as well as the chains used to bound Saint Peter when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem. You will have the afternoon to explore on your own before our final group dinner.

In the morning, we transfer our guests to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci International Airport for their return flights home or for onward journeys.