BOTTICINO MARBLE FOR THE MONUMENT TO ITALIAN UNIFICATION

On June 4, 1911 this Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II was officially opened in Rome.

Italian Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti referred to it as “A marble anthem to the homeland”, “an epic poem written on pages of marble and bronze that will live on through the centuries”. It tooks 7 years of discussion, 26 years of work and 40 thousand cubic meters of Botticino and Mazzano marble to complete.

Botticino marble was chosen for the monument by a special commission on July 2, 1889 because of its strength, appearance and the quality guaranteed by local stone-working businesses and craftsmen.

Supplying the marble for the greatest monument to Italian uniication represented a remarkable opportunity for the Botticino marble area, driving development which has continued apace since then.

The Altare della Patria owes a great deal to Brescia and its marble: politician Giuseppe Zanardelli, who promoted and worked on the great project right from the outset, was from Brescia; Angelo Zanelli, the sculptor chosen to create the Altare della Patria frieze, was from Brescia; the businesses that supplied the marble needed were from Brescia, as were the quarrymen and stonemasons who worked on it.