Garigliano [key], lower part of the Liri River, S central Italy, below its junction with the Rapido, or Gari, River (hence Gari-Liriano) near Cassino. It separates Latium from Campania and empties into the Tyrrhenian Sea. A strategic battleground since antiquity, it was the scene (1503) of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba's victory over Louis XII of France in the Italian Wars. In World War II heavy fighting occurred (Nov., 1943–May, 1944) near the Garigliano during the Allied drive on Rome, which included the battle for Cassino.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Italian Physical Geography
