Monumento+a+Vittorio+Emanuele+II

__**Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II**__

This monument was constructed in honor of Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of united Italy. The monument was designed by Giuseppe Sacconi in 1895, and the sculpture’s commissions were given to famous Italian artists of the time. Construction was started in 1911, and finished in 1935. It is 430 feet wide and, including the sculptures on top, 266 feet high. Among the monuments on the structure is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which holds an eternal flame to remind us of all soldiers that lost their identities in war. Another notable feature on the façade is the Pediment above the sixteen columns. There is a sculpture for each column that represents a region of Italy in 1911. The sculptures are five meters tall and were created between 1907 and 1911. The commission in charge of building the monument chose female figures because "female figures are far more suitable to represent the different types of Italian people than males could be." Each sculpture holds a iconographical object allowing it to be recognized as from a certain region. The first on the left, a warrior with an eagle on her helmet, is Piedmont by Pier Enrico Astori.The second figure that is unsheathing a sword is Lombardy by Emilio Bisi. The third figure that is represented with Saint Mark's lion by her side is Veneto by Paolo Bartolini. Fourth, with the plow, is Liguria by Antonio Quizion. Fifth in line, holding the consul's faces and the law books, is Emilia by Mauro Benini.

The sixth figure is seen wearing the crown of laurel leaves, the poet's symbol, and the shield with the Florentine lion is Tuscany by Italo Grisselli. (I messed up this picture and the third figure is number 6)

The figure in the seventh position, bearing a plow and lyre representing the Marches, is by Giuseppi Tonnini. The eighth figure wearing pastoral garb is Umbria by Elmo Palazzi. The figure in the ninth position from the left, who is holding a small bronze figure representing victory in her left hand, is Latium by Aldolfo Pantaresi. The tenth region represented is Abruzzo by Silvio Sbricoli. In the eleventh spot with the cornucopia is Campania by Gaetano Chiaramonte. Offering grapes in the twelfth position is Apulina by Francesco Pifferetti.



Located in the tweflth position, and wearing a severe classical toga, is Lucania by Luigi Casadio. The next sculpture, whose shoulders are covered by a wild animal skin, is Calabria by Giovanni Nicolini. In the fifteenth spot with the harvested crops and the symbol of Trinacria is Sicily by Michele Tripisciano. Last, holding a crown, is Sardinia by Luigi Belli.

To find this building from the Ponte Vecchio, walk west to the second bridge, Ponte alla Carraia. From there, take a right onto Via Dei Fossi. Walk straight until you see Santa Maria Novella on your left, keep to the right of the church and the S.M.N. train station will be visible on your left. Hop on the next train to Rome. Exit the train station out the main doors and past all the buses (unless you want to take one) the street in front of you is Viale Enrico De Nicola, cross it and walk north west down Viale Luigi Einaudi. Walk one block to the round piazza Republica. The exit from the piazza on the right is the street Via Nazionale. Walk down this street for about 10 blocks and it will bend to the right stay on this street. At some point the name of the street will change to Foro Traiano and the Monument will be on the left hand side. There is no way that you can miss it.

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