Agira Canadian War Cemetery
Agira Canadian War Cemetery
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
5.0
37 reviews
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6
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ranna16
Sherbrooke, Canada56 contributions
Jun 2012 • Family
To all Canadian who happen to visit Sicily it is important to make a stop there. Mainly because many boys died so we could live free today. We owe them a visit so we can thank them for their sacrifice. It is shocking to see that most of them were under 30 years of age. It's the only war cemetary in Italy with only Candian soldiers in it.
Written March 15, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John D
Halifax Regional Municipality, Canada9 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
My wife and I hired a taxi driver,guide,Roberto to take us to the Canadian War Cemetary,near Agira,Enna.It's not that easy to find and we were glad to have Roberto,and his knowledge of the area.He was very good at his job,and sent us pictures of us at the headstone,and overall site of the cemetary.The cemetary is in a wonderful spot,with Etna in the background,a good resting place for these brave Canadians.
We plan on visiting Sicily again,and will hire the same taxi/guide service.Roberto can be reached at robertosapone@hotmail.com.
We plan on visiting Sicily again,and will hire the same taxi/guide service.Roberto can be reached at robertosapone@hotmail.com.
Written October 14, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rophili
Hamilton, Canada5 contributions
Oct 2013 • Friends
We took a wonderful half-day excursion to the Canadian War Cemetary in Agira when our cruise ship visited Catania. This is a beautiful memorial for the 496 Canadian soldiers and airmen who lost their lives in battle during the Second World War Allied invasion of Italy. This past July, was the 70th anniversary of "Operation Husky", when the 1st Canadian Division landed on the beaches of Pachino and followed a route through rugged terrain, liberating villages like Ispica, Modica, Regusa, Grammichele, Piazza Armerina, Catenanuova, Regalbuto, Agira, Assoro, and Leonforte. We can highly recommend Mario Viaggi of NNC Catania (marioviaggi@tiscali.it or info@NccCastania.com) who was our driver. In addition to our visit to the Cemetery and a trip through the scenic countryside on the way, we made a short visit to a magnificant shopping centre outside of Agira.
Written October 25, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rdr49
London, Canada102 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
"The Hills of Sicily. Everywhere ruined castles remind us that, for thousands of years, invaders have visited terrible violence on this beautiful land, but, beneath this castle at Agira, is a lonely cemetery, a reminder of a bloody struggle of our time. Towards twilight, the birds always gather here but the graves themselves are rarely visited. This is Agira Canadian War Cemetery in Sicily, and it contains the graves of more than 500 Canadians killed in the Sicilian Campaign. "
Ever since I heard those words on Norm Christie's "The Forgotten Army", I've wanted to go to Agira to pay my respects. My wife and I finally made the side trip here after a guided tour of the island that ended in Catania.
We were able to hire a "bandit taxi" at a cost of € 115 for the round trip from Catania. (Prices quoted for more legitimate transportation ranged from €210 to € 250. The trip can be made by local bus service as well, at a fraction of the cost, but with less convenience.)
The cemetery is located in a beautiful spot across the crest of a hill, with the hilltop village of Agira to the west, and Mt. Etna well to the east. The documentary was right – the cemetery is little visited. The visitor book entries were not recent and not many were Canadian. A surprising number of Italians seem to visit.
The brief inscriptions allowed to families at the bottom of the grave markers are especially poignant.
My thanks to earlier reviewers here who provided further encouragement to make this trip. It was well worth the effort and I have a sense of satisfaction after making the journey.
Ever since I heard those words on Norm Christie's "The Forgotten Army", I've wanted to go to Agira to pay my respects. My wife and I finally made the side trip here after a guided tour of the island that ended in Catania.
We were able to hire a "bandit taxi" at a cost of € 115 for the round trip from Catania. (Prices quoted for more legitimate transportation ranged from €210 to € 250. The trip can be made by local bus service as well, at a fraction of the cost, but with less convenience.)
The cemetery is located in a beautiful spot across the crest of a hill, with the hilltop village of Agira to the west, and Mt. Etna well to the east. The documentary was right – the cemetery is little visited. The visitor book entries were not recent and not many were Canadian. A surprising number of Italians seem to visit.
The brief inscriptions allowed to families at the bottom of the grave markers are especially poignant.
My thanks to earlier reviewers here who provided further encouragement to make this trip. It was well worth the effort and I have a sense of satisfaction after making the journey.
Written March 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David L
3 contributions
Jun 2018 • Solo
On our visit to Siciliy my adult son and I, as Canadians, made a point of going to the Canadian War Cementary in Agira. It is a beautiful spot overlooking a lake with Mount Etna in the background. In the world of "me" we find ourselves living in, a place like this should cause anyone, but especially Canadians who find their way here while travelling in Sicily, to appreciate the selfless sacrifice of so many people my sons age or younger who died so we could live in the country and the world we are blessed to enjoy. It is also a message to us all that there is a price to be paid for allowing tyrants to run amock. Those who do not study history...
Written June 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NorthWestSue
north west194 contributions
Mar 2016 • Couples
We found this place by accident after taking a detour off the motorway. We stopped for a coffee in the ancient hill town of Agira ( watch your wing mirrors) and saw the sign. My travelling companion was Canadian so we just had to go and it was worth the trip. The perfectly manicured cemetery seems out of place among the chaos of Southern Italy and it was very moving to read the history of nearly five hundred mainly young men who lost their lives in World War 2. The cemetery is in a beautiful mountain location overlooking a lake.
Written April 7, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
aircooled5
Toronto, Canada36 contributions
Mar 2019
Although none of my family were involved in the July 1943 Operation Husky Allied invasion in Sicily, I was aware of the extreme conditions that the Canadian Regiments faced there. We were staying in Sicily for a month so intended on seeing the Canadian War Cemetery at Agira. Nearly 400 men are buried there following the assault on a number of well defended hill towns in the area south of Mt.Etna. The cemetery is located near the town of Agira and on a hill overlooking a lake. A magnificent setting. I had never visited a military cemetery and I have to say I had a lump in my throat looking at all the marble grave stones with names of men from all over Canada. Most of them were in their early to mid 20's and one was aged 17. Interestingly the property was donated by the Italian gov't to honour the soldiers who lost their lives fighting in that area. The visitors guest book contained names from all over Canada and even a number of local Italian names from nearby towns. The cemetery is very well maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. I was proud to honour their sacrifice by paying a visit to this graveyard far from Canada. It's not hard to find this cemetery if you are driving. Type in Canadian War Cemetery Agira in google maps and you'll get the directions. About an hour and a bit from Syracuse and little less from Catania. There is also a British Commonwealth Cemetery near Catania. Highly recommend this visit.
Written March 22, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SFL201
Ottawa, Canada25 contributions
Sep 2018
We were supposed to be with D. Bruce Lorimer, Robert’s older brother, but he passed away in July. Instead six of us, including Bruce’s 2 children went to view the gravesite of an uncle who served in the seaforth Highlsnders and died on August 5th, 1943, under the eye of Winston Churchill watching from a nearby village. Robert was so young and as we walked the cemetary, he was probably an average age. The site is lovely and well-kept. If it does not bring tears to your eyes or a lump in your throat, I cannot think what will.
Written October 5, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CJeremyL
Shaftesbury, UK1,012 contributions
Sep 2015
Should you wish for a memorable break from the motorway drive from Catania to Enna then you would be surprisingly hard not to be moved by a visit to the Canadian Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery at Agira. Here lie all the Canadians killed on Sicily during the WW2 invasion of the island in July/August 1943. Approaching from the south, there is a convenient Esso Station with refreshment facilities as you make the final climb up the slopes of this hilltop town - formerly part of the Axis Mt Etna defence line stretching to Leonforte to the west [see separate report on Assoro and Leonforte]. Without ascending much further, one meets the road coming in from the east and Regalbuto. The cemetery is clearly visible on the left hand side a km or so down the road on its own hill at 37o39’16.17”N – 14o33’0.06”E
Written September 22, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mugisele
Canada25 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
So many young Canadian men died in Sicily and this cemetery rightly honors them. War is devastating and I hope we learn from it. May we promote peace instead of conflict.
Written March 7, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ranna16
Sherbrooke, Canada56 contributions
Dal modo in cui sono canadese e dicendo che facciamo cose proprio come gli americani è un grave offesa. La ragione per cui il cimitero è così ben tenuto è perché il governo canadese sta pagando per questo. A proposito, se conoscesse la tua storia, sapreste che i soldati canadesi erano meglio dei soldati americani. Furono persino temuti dai tedeschi
