Piazza Venezia, the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II and Trajan's Column

Piazza Venezia and the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II

Situated behind the Capitoline and at the end of the Via del Corso, Piazza Venezia is home to the monument to Victor Emmanuel II. This immense white marble building, constructed between 1885 and 1911, is dedicated to the first King of Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, and through him to the unity of Italy.

Getting there: Bus lines (40, 46, 63, 70, 81, 83, 87…)

Address: Piazza Venezia

Ticket prices: access to the exterior staircases is free.
Paid entry for the Risorgimento and Naval Military museums, for the colonnade and access to the terrace at the top.
€18 full price, €5.00 for young people aged 18 to 25 and free for under-18s (EU citizens). Open every day from 9:30 to 19:30 (last admission 18:45). Closed on 25 December and 1 January.
The changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier takes place every hour.
Official website of the monument and buy tickets online.

It was indeed Victor Emmanuel II who unified Italy after wars with Austria and by subsequently annexing the various regions of present-day Italy with the help of men such as Cavour and Garibaldi, names you will often come across….
This monument, given many nicknames such as “the typewriter” and “the wedding cake”, contains many symbols of that unification. Thus the 16 sculptures on the pediment represent the reunited regions of Italy.

You will also find the Central Museum of the Risorgimento (Italian reunification) as well as access to the terrace at the top of the monument. Access to the terrace is by a lift at the rear of the monument at mid-height. You will therefore need to climb part of the building, either from the front or from the rear by crossing part of the museum, as far as the ticket office. The way in is not signposted and you will need to explore the building to reach it. Note that access from the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli is sometimes closed; do not try that route unless you want to visit this remarkable church.

Access to the terrace is by a paid lift (see prices and opening hours at the start of the page). The view from the terrace is spectacular! A visit we recommend!

The two fountains on either side represent the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas that border the Italian coasts. An equestrian statue of Victor Emmanuel stands at the centre of the monument.

Trajan's Column

Beside the square, on Trajan's Forum, you can see the very famous Trajan's Column, built on the orders of the emperor Trajan (around AD 113) to commemorate his victories over the Dacians.

All around the column, bas-reliefs recount the emperor’s campaigns. These bas-reliefs increase in size as they rise so as to remain always visible.

This column, present in every history book, is of exceptional historical interest as regards the military techniques of the period.