Monument to the Fallen Soldiers of the Great War

15 min.

At the edge of the Memorial Park, Parco della Rimembranza, close to the platform on the top of the hill Colle di San Giusto, stands a tall monument in honour of the fallen in the Great War. Victor Emmanuel III, King of Italy, and many fascist officials attended the unveiling ceremony in 1935. The sculptural group was executed by the sculptor Attilio Selva of Trieste, and the marble pedestal is a work by architect Enrico del Nebbio. The classically styled monument features five naked male figures entangled in a dramatic war scene. Three men support a wounded comrade, and a fifth one protects their shoulders with a shield. The sculpture is more than five metres tall, the statues are cast in iron and the pedestal is made of white Istrian stone. Engraved in it is a dedication: Trieste ai caduti nella guerra di liberazione MCMXV–MCMXVIII (Trieste to the Fallen in the Liberation War 1915–1918). The concept of the monument is related to the idea of liberation from the Austro-Hungarian yoke, which was very close to the fascist nationalism.

Photos: Schirra/Giraldi, PromoTurismoFVG