Monument to Italy's First King

Walking Tours of Venice

Monument to King Vittorio Emanuele II by Ettore Ferrari

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The monument to King Vittorio Emanuele II (r. 1861-78), which stands on the Riva degli Schiavoni, was created by the Roman sculptor, Ettore Ferrari (1848-1929), and inaugurated on May 1st, 1887.

Vittorio Emanuele II was king of the newly created Kingdom of Italy (1861), which Venice and the Veneto joined in 1866. 

A ferocious-looking winged lion (emblem of the Republic of Venice), its wings unfurled, rests a mighty paw on a tablet, which notes the result of the referendum that was held to decide whether the Venetians (and their compatriots on the mainland) wanted to join the Kingdom of Italy or to remain part of the Austrian Empire, to which it had been attached since 1814. The result was a resounding majority in favour of joining. 

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