Busto di Ascanio Sobrero, Turin
Busto di Ascanio Sobrero in Turin is located in the southern part of the beautiful Parco del Valentino, which is located on the banks of the Po River. It proves that Turin remembers not only the revolutionary heroes, but also other outstanding personalities who were born and performed their accomplishments in the capital of Piedmont.
Sculptural composition
The monument is dedicated to the outstanding Italian scientist-chemist of the 19th century. He was the first to discover nitroglycerin in 1846. But, foreseeing all the dangers of the created substance, the scientist held dangerous knowledge in secret. Ten years later, Alfred Nobel, who patented the ways of making dynamite from nitroglycerin in 1863, met with him. After this, Sobrero worked as a consultant at one of the dynamite factories near Turin. He died in 1888.
The project of the monument was designed and implemented by the sculptors Giorgio Ceragioli and Cesare Biscarra. The opening took place on May 31, 1914 on Piazza XVIII Dicembre. And only in 2002 the monument was moved to the current place.
The basis of the monument is made out of small stone rocks, as a symbol of the initial use of dynamite. They are moved apart by a bronze statue of Titan. The top of the entire composition is the bust of Sobrero himself with an engraved inscription on the front side.
How to get there
The monument is located in the Parco del Valentino, near the intersection of Corso Massimo d'Azeglio and Corso Raffaello. The Monument to Amedeo of Savoy stands next to it on the square, and in the heart of the park zone – the Castello del Valentino and the Museum of the Botanical Garden. A few steps away there is the Torino Esposizioni stop. It can be reached by tram (№ 9), and by buses (№ 47, 67, 108, 260, 299, 302).
