  Consider a family of Fano varieties $\pi: X \longrightarrow B\ni o$ over a
curve germ with a smooth total space $X$. Assume that the generic fiber is
smooth and the special fiber $F=\pi^{-1}(o)$ has simple normal crossings. Then
$F$ is called a semistable degeneration of Fano varieties. We show that the
dual complex of $F$ is a simplex of dimension $\leq \mathrm{dim}\ F$. Simplices
of any admissible dimension can be realized for any dimension of the fiber.
Using this result and the Minimal Model Program in dimension $3$ we reproduce
the classification of the semistable degenerations of del Pezzo surfaces
obtained by Fujita. We also show that the maximal degeneration is unique and
has trivial monodromy in dimension $\leq3$.
