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Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II, Bologna

Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II, Bologna

Monument to Victor Emmanuel II (Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II) is a beautiful equestrian statue dedicated to the first King of United Italy which is located in one of the Bologna parks. Given the great merit of the monarch and the respect of the people, it is quite strange that the monument stands not on the central square, but in a park far from the center. There is a reason for that, however.

Historical personality

The monument is dedicated to the last King of Sardinia who contributed significantly to unite Italy. He was respected and loved by the entire country, mainly for his achievements in gaining independence from Austria, even while having numerous rumors and vices. Victor Emmanuel II became one of the central figures of the Risorgimento, eventually taking the Italian throne in 1861.

Historians still questioned the fact that Victor was the legitimate heir, admitting the possibility that the prince died in a fire in infancy and was replaced by a butcher's son. Such hypotheses appeared because of a large difference in the appearance and character between the father and son. Gossipers discuss the affairs and the number of king’s mistresses – and there were a lot. Nevertheless, he created a single kingdom of Italy in 1861 through agreements, military campaigns, and reforms. The king died in 1878 and was buried in Rome, the state capital.

Sculptural design

The unification of Italy led to a boom in the construction of monuments to national heroes. The year 1888 was significant in that regard, both for Bologna and for the whole country. After all, 10 years have passed since the death of the first king. The opening of the statue in Bologna was preceded by a huge number of discussions and a lot of controversies: from the placement and up to which direction the horse's tail will be turned to. After all of that ended, the monument was opened in 1888 on the central city square. It was created in Rome by the sculptor Giulio Monteverde. And only in 1944, after the liberation of the city from the German troops, the statue was moved to where it can be found now. The fall of the monarchy and the creation of a republican system of government was the reason for that. At the beginning of the 21st century, the statue was carefully and extremely well restored.

The monument is 8.5 meters high, the bronze equestrian statue itself is 3.8 meters. The plinth is made of Baveno pink granite and consists of 3 steps and the plinth itself. An inscription with a dedication to the monarch is engraved on its front side. The plinth is crowned with a statue, the monarch is depicted on horseback. Presumably, the monument was supposed to illustrate one of the moments of the Battle of Solferino in 1859.

How to get

The monument is located near the historic center of Bologna, in the Margarita Park, on Viale Libero Lossanti. It stands near one of the entrances to the park, not far from the former city gate Porta Santo Stefano. The closest stop is Porta Santo Stefano which can be reached by buses № 16, 32, 38.

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