"The Typewriter" and "The Wedding Cake"
Romans have always had a conflicted relationship with the Vittoriano. Two nicknames have stood the test of time:
"The typewriter" (la macchina da scrivere): for the shape of the façade, with the row of columns resembling typewriter keys, and the squared white profile evoking a 1940s Olivetti.
"The wedding cake" (la torta nuziale): for the dazzling whiteness of the Botticino marble, the tiered structure and the general decorative exuberance — too much icing on the cake, said the detractors at its inauguration in 1911.
Both nicknames reflect a genuine suspicion: the Vittoriano was too large, too white, too new for a city already drowning in history.
The Man in the Horse
During the casting of the equestrian statue of Victor Emanuel II (completed in 1911 after more than twenty years of work), the monumental horse's head was so large that a group of workers was able to hold a dinner inside it before the final casting. The story, documented, became legend: according to the more fanciful versions, a worker was trapped inside for days and lived there for a period. The verifiable version is more prosaic: it was a dinner among workers in a technical space, not a prolonged residence.
The equestrian statue is 12 metres long. An entire dinner party genuinely fitted inside the horse's head.
The Demolition of the Medieval Quarter
To build the Vittoriano, an entire section of the Capitoline Hill had to be demolished: medieval and Renaissance buildings, houses, minor churches. The demolition, carried out between 1880 and the early twentieth century, was controversial even at the time. Among the most lamented losses: the tower of Paul III and several buildings documenting the continuity of Rome's urban fabric.
The Marble That Divides
The choice of Botticino marble (from Brescia) instead of Roman travertine was a decision loaded with meaning. Travertine is Rome's material — the Colosseum, the Baths of Caracalla. The Botticino, white and foreign (Lombard), was the marble of the new State, chosen in symbolic opposition to papal Rome.
Over time the Botticino has darkened to a yellowish ivory — less aggressive, less "new". Paradoxically, the ageing has made the Vittoriano more aesthetically acceptable to Roman eyes.
The Mausoleum and the Resistance
The Vittoriano was not born as a mausoleum. The crypt of the Unknown Soldier was added only in 1921, forty years after construction began. The monument was initially a simple glorification of the king and national Unity — without the dimension of military sacrifice. It was the First World War that transformed its meaning.
The Winged Bronze Lions on the Ramps
Along the two ramps leading up to the main staircase stand eleven large winged bronze lions — one for each region of Italy plus the islands. Few tourists notice them. They are among the largest bronze sculptures in the complex, overshadowed by the quadrigas above.
The Statue That Was Never Finished in Time
The equestrian statue was inaugurated in 1911 along with the monument, but Sacconi — its designer — had died in 1905, six years before the partial inauguration and twenty-four years after winning the competition. He never saw his project completed.
With a Private Driver
Reach the Vittoriano by private driver. From your hotel, airport or station — direct and on time. Service from €49. → Book at myromedriver.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Why don't Romans like the Vittoriano? The historical hostility is linked to the demolition of the medieval urban fabric, the excessive size relative to its surroundings, the "foreign" marble, and a certain nationalist rhetoric that Romans distrust. Today the attitude is more ambivalent: it is criticised but used, and the terrace view is acknowledged as the finest in the city.
Is the Vittoriano the largest monument in Rome? It is the largest of the modern era in the historic centre. It does not exceed the dome of St Peter's in height (136 m) but exceeds it in width (135 m façade vs approximately 115 m for the Basilica façade). In volume, it is the most imposing structure in the modern city.
Article no. 190 — TIER S — MON-10 Altare della Patria / Vittoriano Type: HISTORICAL Words: ~640