Cimitero di Guerra del Commonwealth di Bolsena

Bolsena War Cemetery commemorates Commonwealth servicemen who died during the Second World War. Its ordered graves on the lakeside slopes preserve the memory of the Allied advance north of Rome in 1944.

Why it matters

The cemetery contains 597 Commonwealth war burials, many brought from the battlefields between Bolsena and Orvieto. A substantial proportion are South African, reflecting the fighting involving the 6th South African Armoured Division in this part of Italy.

What to notice

Regular rows of headstones, planted terraces and the Cross of Sacrifice give the cemetery its recognisable Commonwealth character. The shelter building adds a place of architectural enclosure beside the open burial ground. Graves transferred from Elba in 1947 connect the site with another theatre of the Italian campaign.

Context and history

The site was selected in November 1944 following the battles around Bolsena that June. The ground also had an association with General Alexander's advanced headquarters after the liberation of Rome. Louis de Soissons designed the cemetery, combining a formal commemorative layout with the sloping landscape overlooking the lake.