Il Vittoriano (built 1885-1925 A.D.)

This monument is dedicated to King Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy, the first king of the unified Italian Kingdom. As I’ve mentioned before, this is another example of national myth-building in marble.  It also houses the Tomb of Italy’s Unknown Soldier. That’s the king himself, in bronze, riding his horse and looking out over the sprawling, wealthy, vibrant, city that he loved and made his capitol. That’s the myth.

Actually, Victor Emmanuel never really bothered to learn Italian. He hated Rome and never spent one moment more in the city than was absolutely necessary. Although trained as a soldier, he never won a battle in his life. Every war he got Italy into was a total disaster. He had only one real interest in life: hunting. 20% of the new kingdom’s budget went to its new royal family, and most of that was spent on palaces and hunting lodges for the king. When he wasn’t hunting game, VE II devoted his energies to hunting his other favorite prey: women. Tall, short, skinny, fat, old, young, noble, commoners—it just didn’t matter to him. Although he most certainly had never heard of George Washington, he definitely wanted to become the Father of His Country.

Probably the most frustrating thing about Victor Emmanuel is that, the more he screwed up, the more he prospered.  With every unnecessary war Italy lost under his leadership, the more territory it gained. The more tax money he wasted, the more funds a grateful parliament voted for him. With every friend and ally he betrayed, his personal prestige grew.  Even when Pius IX excommunicated him, it only served to increase his popularity among liberal nationalists, and provided a rallying point for secularist patriots. This guy just could not lose, no matter how hard he tried. And after he died, (cowering in fear of hell and begging for the last rites), the nation constructed this magnificent monument to their first king, and to all the glories of Italy that he personified. Think of what you or I could do with luck like that!

The monument is jammed up against the Capitoline Hill and offers some of the best vistas of Rome. Inside is a museum dedicated to the Risorgimento, the Italian Armed Forces, and the National Culture in general. Many Romans have nicknamed the monument “The Wedding Cake.”