Time for Rome’s Vittorio Emanuele monument to shine

Susan Spano’s Postcards From Rome

Many people think the massive white marble monument to Vittorio Emanuele II begun in 1911 next to the Campidoglio in Rome is a monstrous architectural blot on the face of the Eternal City. But others who stop to have their pictures taken in front of the Vittoriano, as it’s called, wonder why the monument is partly covered in scaffolding.

It’s because they’re cleaning the quadrigae, or four-horse chariots, atop the Vittoriano. If you look closely you will see that the one on the west side, driven by winged Liberty, is shiny black, while the one on the east side, driven by Unity, is crusty green, still awaiting the attention of restorers.

The monument contains Italy’s Tomb of the Unknown Solider from World War I, the Museum of the Risorgimento that hosts temporary exhibitions and a glass-walled elevator to the terrace on top that provides one of the grandest views in the city.

To finally determine whether the Vittoriano is hideous or dazzling, I conducted an informal survey of English-speaking passersby. I polled five tourists, two of whom said it was beautiful, with no reservations. One from Northern California and another from North Carolina criticized its exuberant decoration. A fifth man from Denmark diplomatically said that Italian nationalists probably love it, while others think it’s gaudy. So the question is still open.

I’d be interested in hearing what you think.

– Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times staff writer

[Photos: Susan Spano / Los Angeles Times]

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 11:45 am by Susan Spano and is filed under Europe, Italy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.