In front of the church of St Francis alla Rocca in Viterbo there is a large monument dedicated to the 3rd Grenadier Regiment of Sardinia built in 1962 by the artist Francesco Nagni.
The 3rd Regiment was established in 1849 and in 1926 came to settle in Viterbo in the La Rocca barracks.
In 1943, when the armistice was signed, the regiment was in Greece and was deported to a German prison camp. Commander Castagnoli and his officers refused to cooperate and decided to tear the flag into small pieces so as not to let it fall into enemy hands. Each officer took a piece of the flag and promised to rebuild it in Rome. Today the assembled flag is exhibited at the Historical Museum of the Grenadiers in Rome.
The regiment was then dissolved and merged into the 1st Sardinian Grenadiers Regiment.
Follow us