Greetings from Trieste
Il Monumento ai Caduti
Perched on the top of the Colle di San Giusto near Trieste’s castle stands a tall monument in honour of the fallen soldiers of World War One. It was unveiled in 1935 in the presence of Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy. The sculptural group was the work of Attilio Selva of Trieste, and the marble pedestal made by architect Enrico del Nebbio. The monument, classical in style, features a group of five naked male figures in a dramatic war scene. Three are supporting a wounded comrade, while a fifth protects them with a shield. The statues are cast in iron and the pedestal is white Istrian stone.
The inscription reads:
Trieste ai caduti nella guerra di liberazione MCMXV–MCMXVIII
Trieste to the Fallen in the Liberation War 1915–1918)
The reference is not to the Resistance in the Second World War, but to the concept of an Italian Trieste freed from the Austro-Hungarian yoke, a concept dear to Fascist patriotic nationalism.
I was pleased when this little girl wandered into my shot to add scale to this more than five metre tall monument.
27 Comments
Teresa
Another travel for you, Sarah. What a lovely monument.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Teresa 😀 This was just a short city break to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We have a rather longer trip coming up soon!
Jane Lurie
What an impressive monument- thanks for the history, Sarah. The little girl makes the shot, of course! ☺️
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Jane 🙂 I’d already taken several photos when she appeared so of course I had to take another one!
grandmisadventures
that’s a beautiful and moving way to honor
Sarah Wilkie
It’s a striking monument indeed, and I’m always fascinated by this sort of brutalist style 🙂
wetanddustyroads
Yes, I think the little girl in the photo makes it special. Thanks for explaining the statue.
Sarah Wilkie
I”m glad you like the little girl being there and found the explanations useful – thank you 😊
Annie Berger
Thank you for providing context or background about the monument, as it helped me realize its importance to the people of the era in which it was constructed, Sarah.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Annie 😃 Trieste has an interesting history, quite different from other parts of Italy.
Annie Berger
I know nothing of that part of Italy, so I’ll look forward to learning about it from your upcoming posts. Sarah.
the eternal traveller
Great photo of this memorial. I was intrigued by how different it looked in bright sunlight and then later when we saw it at sunset.
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks 😀 We only saw it by day – I found it very striking! And thanks too for the tip about the lift. We took it up and walked down – the opposite of what you did 😀
the eternal traveller
Glad you found it – a very handy one to know about. 😊
Egídio
The little girl gave your beautiful photo all the dimension it needed.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 😀 I did feel she added to the scene!
Marie
I missed the little girl! Enjoy your visit. Different indeed from the rest of the country but lovely for a few days…
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, we’ve had three days and found that enough, but it’s been very interesting and we’ve had a good time!
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
I almost didn’t notice the little girl! That’s huge.
Sarah Wilkie
It is indeed!
Sue
Quite monument, and scale nicely illustrated with the little girl
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Sue – yes, she definitely helped to show the scale 😀
ThingsHelenLoves
A very striking monument!
Sarah Wilkie
It is indeed – hard to miss!
margaret21
This is a part of Italy with an unusually mixed and interesting history. Looking forward to hearing more!
Sarah Wilkie
You’re right, the history here is interesting and rather different from other parts of Italy that we’ve visited, as is the architecture. And of course there will be more!
margaret21
👍