The Abbey of Monte Cassino

Monastery Hill, now known as Monte Cassino, houses the Abbey of Monte Cassino. An  ancient religious building built as a fortress guarding the route to Rome, the monastery occupied a strategically vital ridge that marked the edge of the German defences - the  'Gustav Line'. As such Monte Cassino was the focal point of the four individual battles that  comprise the Battle of Monte Cassino, January to May 1944.