Abbey
of
MONTECASSINO

Do it yourself - Walking tour

By Car:
. Follow the Autostrada A2 sign to Cassino
. Once you arrive in Cassino, you will have to follow signs to the Abbazia di Monte Cassino. (A quick sharp left turn).
By Bus:
. At the Formia train station there are busses that depart approximately every hour from 0800 to 2100 every day (cost is lit. 3,500 one way).
. Get off at the center of Cassino and from there, you will take the bus to take you to the Abbey (Abazia). Ask driver for stop.Useful Information:Parking is available at the top of Monte Cassino. It is guarded parking. You should tip approx. lit 2,000.Public bathrooms+ are available near the parking area (outside the Abbey) for a fee of approx. lit .500.
Visit the Polish cemetery which you will see just before you arrive to the Abbey (at the top of the mountain). There is no fee to enter and there is limited parking available.

A little history

St Benedict founded the Abbey of Monte Cassino, perhaps the oldest and most famous monastery in the world, in 529 A.D.
Destroyed and rebuilt several times since then, it became a beacon of civilization throughout the Middle Ages. Here the torch of knowledge was kept burning by the devoted labors and monastic life of the Benedectines. During the 11th and 12th centuries, it was a center of learning, particularly in the field of medicine.
Monte Cassino monks established the famous medical school at Salerno.                            
Upon reaching the top of the monastery hill, the visitor sees the new Benedictine House, behind which rises the south wind of the Abbey faced with travertine.
Access to the Abbey is through the ceremonial entrance, the SW comer and a brief ascent bring the visitor three communicating cloisters.
The cloister nearest the entrance contains a bronze sculpture of "Death of St Benedict". Beneath the high altar in a silver and bronze casket are the remains of St Benedict and his twin sister St Scholastica.
After the Italian Facist Regime collapsed during World War II, German troops occupied the town of Cassino in 1944. Subsequent fighting, which lasted for four months before the Allied breakthrough, left the town of Cassino devasted and Monte Cassino severely damaged. Both Cassino and Monte Cassino have since been rebuilt on the original sites. The memory of the Battle of Monte Cassino is kept alive by the American, British and Polish cemeteries situated in the vicinity of the monastery.Open to the public: From 0930-1230 and again from 1530 to sunset.

DRESS CODE
WOMEN MUST COVER THEIR SHOULDERS AND ARMS,WHILE MEN ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR LONG TROUSERS.

The Museum
The museum has a variety of paintings, statues, many vestibules of the Catholic religion. Cost lit. 2,000 for entrance. During the wintertime, it is only open on Sundays. From April to September is open every day at the same time the Abbey is open. There is also a gift shop at the entrance of the Abbey and at the exit of the museum.