Monument to the Italians Fallen (in the First World War) | |
Native Name: | Monumento ai Caduti |
Native Name Lang: | it |
Body: | Italy |
Commemorates: | Italians who died in First World War |
Established: | 30 October 1927 |
Coordinates: | 44.7008°N 10.6301°W |
Location: | Parco del Popolo, between Piazza della Vittoria and Giardini Pubblici |
Nearest Town: | Reggio Emilia, Province of Reggio Emilia, Italy |
Designer: | Alberto Bazzoni |
The Monument to the Fallen (Italian: Monumento ai Caduti) is a Fascist-era monument, dedicated to the Italians who died during the First World War (1915–1918), and located in central Reggio Emilia, at the south border of the Parco del Popolo (also called the Giardino Publico), at the border with Piazza della Vittoria and just west of the town's Opera House.
The monument consists of a rectangular tower 15 meters high on a rectangular plinth 17 meters at the longest; the east and west sides have each two Doric columns, while the north and south sides have free-standing bronze statues. The top of the central rectangle has four bronze plaques.
The commission was initially awarded after a competition to the sculptor Alberto Bazzoni (1889–1973). By the time the monument was completed, the design had acquired the fascist overtones honoring patriotic militarism. The soldier also has a facial resemblance to Benito Mussolini.[1]