A wreath-laying ceremony in Monte San Martino, Italy, during the Freedom Trail Walk in September 2013.
A Tenna Valley Freedom Trail Walk sponsored by WW2 Escape Lines Memorial Society and Monte San Martino Trust is scheduled for May 7–12. The annual walks, begun in 2001, retrace routes taken by Allied escapers and evaders caught in enemy territory in Italy during World War II.
The last Freedom Trail walk was held just seven months ago, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the September 1943 Italian armistice and the subsequent escape of prisoners from camps across central and northern Italy.
The walks are dedicated to the people of the Italian countryside, the contadini, who, at great risk to themselves and their families, provided shelter, food, clothing, and medical assistance to the young Allied servicemen.
This year’s walk will cover approximately 80 kilometers and include visits to the villages of Monte San Martino, Massa Fermana, Montappone, Montelparo, Montalto delle Marche, Monte Urano, Fermo, and Porto San Georgio.
A shady rest during the Freedom Trail Walk last September.
Program cover for the first Freedom Trail Walk, 2001.
