In the town medieval heart, Piazza Guglielmo Marconi/Via del Cavone, near St. Giovanni’s church, we find the first historical plaque. From here the view extends over the whole gulf up to the Astura tower and even beyond, on Circeo Mount which, seen from here, looks like a sphinx in the middle of the sea. The few people not evacuated by the German command woke up at dawn and witnessed a scene remained etched in their memory ever since: the sea was so black because of ships that they could not see the water, and all ships had the bows pointed towards the military shooting range. On this side, where the sun rises, is still visible the long strip of beach within the area preserved by the advance of concrete buidings, which makes us feel like so many Robinson Crosue as soon as the military shooting range stop their activities and does not prohibit boats and pedestrians access to its earthly paradise. This is where on the night of January 22nd, 1944, landed the 3rd Infantry Division commanded by General Lucian K. Truscott, who, having come ashore from the ship Biscayne, set up his temporary command post in the Foglino woods where, at the end of the war, was built a monument with a bronze plaque. This is where the initial contact between Nettuno and the Americans took place.
