The Bezzecca War Memorial
A small church that tells the history of Italy
The Bezzecca War Memorial, inside the church of Santo Stefano, on the hill of the same name overlooking Bezzecca, is a place that bears witness to two fundamental moments in the history of Italy: the Risorgimento and the Great War.
In fact, in addition to the remains of thirty-seven soldiers that fell during the Great War, the memorial is also home to the remains of sixty-one soldiers who took part in the 1866 campaign for independence with Giuseppe Garibaldi, and lost their lives in the battle between the Austrians and Garibaldi’s followers on 21 July 1866.
Outside the church of Santo Stefano, there is a 75 mm Italian cannon, a large cross from the cemetery next to the church, and a column donated to Bezzecca by the city of Rome in 1924. Inside the religious building you can find a “Via Crucis” [Stations of the Cross] and the “Monumento al Fante caduto” [Monument to the fallen infantryman], by sculptor Giannino Castiglioni.
On the hill, you can also visit hundreds of metres of Italian walkways and trenches.
