Il Vittoriano - A Typewriter, a Wedding Cake or Our National Pride?

On Piazza Venezia, you will find one of the most famous - and controversial - monuments of the whole Eternal City: The "Vittoriano", or "Altare della Patria" - "Altar of the Fatherland" - A monument built between 1911 and completed only in 1925  to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Unity of the Country (1861-1911), and to commemorate Vittorio Emanuele II, the first King of united Italy (statue in the middle of the monument.) 

The first controversial fact about the monument arose long before its completion, both during the long process of selection of the proposed projects among the ones submitted (315 from 13 countries) and from the supply of stone and marble chosen for the building, coming from the northern province of Brescia (with alleged interferences coming from the most powerful politicians of that time, including the Prime Minister). 

The discussions subsided after the end of World War I, with the enthusiasm following the Victory of 1918. In 1921 at the same monument was buried the Unknown Soldier, a soldier chosen on a battlefield in north-eastern Italy among those who had no identification plate with them,  transported to Rome with great honours, and buried there with great solemnity to symbolize the sacrifice of all the soldiers during all wars, but especially in WW I which for Italy was considered as the last one of the Wars for Independence, having manage to reconquer from the Austian Empire the territories of Trento and Trieste in northern Italy. 

During the following Fascist period, with the ideal of Fatherland becoming of paramount importance for the regime's propaganda, the Vittoriano became the stage for so many ceremonies of all kinds, with the military ones being the most frequently represented on the site. 


After the war, the monument lost part of its importance, and started becoming the target for heavy criticsm by the people: the allegedly not graceful shape of the monument, its being all white, and the face that it doesn't blend too well with the more ancient surroundings, earned the monuments nicknames such as "The Typewriter" (due to its shape) or  "The Wedding Cake" due to the color.

In more recent times, after having suffered a bomb attack back in the late 60s, the monument has been closed to the public only to be reopened in 1997. In 2011 it went back to his splendour and importance thanks a thorough refurbishment and for becoming one of the focal points of the celebrations for the 150th Anniversary of the Unity of Italy.

So, it's up to each one of us to decide if the Vittoriano is just a Typewriter, a Wedding Cake, or the materialization of our National Pride.

"Domine, Quo Vadis?" - A small Church for a Miracle Encounter

On the Appian Way, less than half a kilometer away from Porta San Sebastiano (the main gate in Rome walls on Appian Way) and just metres away from the Catacombs of St. Callisto, there is a small church with a very simple façade, that can easily go unnoticed both by visitors and by Romans, often more concentrated on the nearby road intersection than on what surrounds them.

The little church, as stated also by the sentence written in Latin above the entrance door, was, according to tradition, the stage for a very special encounter: it is believed that St. Peter, fleeing Rome to escape the prosecutions by Emperor Nero, met Christ in this place, and asked him in Latin: "Domine, Quo Vadis?" meaning "Lord, where are you going?" and Christ, who was heading towards Rome, replied: "Eo Romam Iterum Crucifigi", which means "I'm going to Rome to be crucifixed again." From this sentence, Peter understood he should not run away, so he went back to Rome to meet his destiny or martyrdom.

Inside the church, on the floor, we can see a slab of white marble, on which there are engraved 2 footprints, believed to be the footprints of Christ himself (this can be seen from the sentences engraved on the edges of the slab). Historical and archaeological researches showed that the slab is indeed ancient, but in reality it was an "ex voto" made by travellers, probablyleft in the temple as a thanking to the Gods for the successful trip, or maybe as an offer before the trip to invoke their protection.

The little church can be a nice stop for the visitor on the Appian way en route to bigger attractions such as: the Catacombs, the Appian Way, or the ancient city walls, that can be visited in the section around the nearby gate of Porta San Sebastiano.