Caring for Cassino: Keeping the Legacy of Liberation alive in Italy

Cassino War Cemetery is one of the most beautiful CWGC sites in the world. We chatted to Cassino Head Gardener Carlo Castiglia about what it takes to care for this unique war cemetery.

Caring for Cassino War Cemetery

Head Gardener Carlo Castiglia

Carlo heads up the team caring for Cassino War Cemetery. Carlo has been with Commonwealth War Graves for nearly three decades. In that time, Carlo has built up a wealth of expertise and experiences that help him and his team keep the sites in their charge in stunning condition.

Image: Cassino Head Gardener Carlo Castiglia

Hi Carlo, can you please tell us a little bit about yourself and what you enjoy about working at Cassino War Cemetery? Do you have a personal connection to the site?

“Hello, my name is Carlo Castiglia. I’m the Head Gardener here at Cassino War Cemetery. I’ve worked for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for 29 years.

“I enjoy being in contact with the public, to be honest, because we see a lot of visitors. Each visitor has a story, especially those that have stories from their grandfathers or veterans that were here at Cassino.

"To be honest, I enjoy my work because it reminds me of my grandfather. 

“He was here during the war. He was with the Royal Engineers when he met my grandmother, who was a local girl from Cassino. Then they went to live in the UK. My mother used to come over here on holidays where she met my dad. It’s like a family thing, you see. 

“Whenever we have visitors coming over, they have stories about the war, and they remind me of the stories my grandfather used to tell me about the war.” 

Lovely! It’s always brilliant to hear about our staff’s personal connections to our sites and their work. Carlo, in your time here, have you had any memorable encounters with visitors to Cassino War Cemetery?

“Her name was Val. I’d known her for 29 years, all the years I’ve been working here. 

“Every year she used to come to see her father, who is buried here. It was really touching because she wasn’t really well in her health as the years went on, so when she used to see me she’d say, ‘I’ll be back next year’. 

“It was really touching to wait for her every year.”

That is a beautiful story. It’s our visitors' links to those we commemorate that add to the mystique of CWGC war cemeteries and memorials. Carlo, is there anything else that makes Cassino War Cemetery special for you?

“Personally, I think the special thing about the cemetery is when you walk in you can see the monastery behind you as soon as you walk you can see Cassino Abbey. 

“Plus, we have the Memorial, where all the lost soldiers of all the battles of Italy, not just at Cassino.”

And finally, what challenges are you and the team facing at Cassino War Cemetery?

“One of our biggest challenges is to keep the borders weed-free. It’s not easy because we’re not using pesticides anymore. Me and my colleagues have to try and dig up the weeds.

“We have a look round the cemetery, as you can see it’s a really big site, so in the morning we have a look round to see which borders have more work that means to be done and try to pull all the weeds out.”

Well, the results speak for themselves. Thanks for speaking to us Carlo and thank you and your team for their incredible work!

Renovating Cassino War Cemetery

Throughout 2023, Cassino War Cemetery underwent a comprehensive horticultural restoration, headed up by Senior Head Gardener South, Adriano Bisogno, leading a team of Italian and Belgian CWGC horticulturalists.

CWGC sites are susceptible to the effects of climate change. 

Under the terms of our Royal Charter, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is charged with caring for these sites in perpetuity, so long-term sustainability is at the forefront of renovation and horticulture.

Starting with a detailed soil study, as well as looking at the plant species found in Cassino War Cemetery, the works took place in two phases: one in March 2023 and the other the following September.

Border plants were removed, as well as persistent weeds and even wild garlic varieties that grow among the headstones, and borders were narrowed.

The soil structure was also improved and many of the new plants now blooming at Cassino, are drought-resistant.

All of these changes should help keep Cassino War Cemetery looking immaculate for years to come while resisting the negative effects of climate change.

Cassino War Cemetery’s renovation also allowed us to put into practice learnings from other sites in Italy and elsewhere. 

For instance, large-scale CWGC propagation projects are using local plant varieties more resilient to adverse climatic conditions. Small plant nurseries are being created in our cemeteries.

In Cassino’s case, all of the gazanias used for the cemetery’s horticultural refresh were grown In July by CWGC gardeners Carlo and Mario at Minturno War Cemetery.

Commonwealth War Graves is looking to establish a green circular economy amongst different sites worldwide as part of our long-term sustainability goals.