As I walked through the streets of Milan, I felt like I was in a huge boutique. But I also had the feeling that I was in an open-air museum.
I stood in front of the Milan Cathedral, in front of me stands the cathedral, magnificent, decorated with sculptures and with an incredible history. On its left side is a beautiful shopping center with luxury stores, such as Gucci, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, etc.
Across the street from the cathedral is a monument to Victor Emmanuel II, which I find interesting. He is sitting on a horse, it looks like he is riding straight towards the cathedral.
As far as I have noticed, all over Italy they have monuments to Victor Emmanuel II, so Milan was no exception.
I imagine him looking at the square below him with the seriousness of a man who knows the price of freedom. Victor Emmanuel II became the first king of a united Italy in 1861, at a time when Italy was not what we know today. Italy was a group of divided kingdoms, duchies and city-states, often under foreign rule.
Born in 1820 in Turin, he belonged to the Savoy dynasty. He was not a charismatic orator or a visionary like Garibaldi, but he had one key quality, he knew when to listen, when to let people do what they needed to do. He was wise enough to get behind the Risorgimento movement, a national revival that led to a unified Italy.
The monument was erected in 1896, twelve years after the king's death. The author's work by Ercole Rosa, an Italian sculptor from the Marche region, shows the king riding his horse resolutely but dignified, facing the south. It is symbolic because the south was the last part of Italy to enter the community under his crown.
The bronze is placed on a marble plinth decorated with reliefs depicting battles and soldiers, as well as ordinary people who dreamed of Italy as one whole. This contrast between movement and silence, between the king and the people, gives the monument an unusual emotional weight.
Today, the monument is more than a historical point. It is the place where people meet, where lovers meet "by the horse", where tourists, like me, take their first selfies, and Milanese drink their morning coffee while observing the pulse of the city.
But as you stand beneath that horseman, it’s worth pausing and thinking: how much vision, courage, blood, and compromise did it take for this statue to stand right here in the heart of Milan, in front of the magnificent Duomo, under the endless sky of a united Italy?
The monument to Victor Emmanuel II is not just a bronze king on horseback. It is a reminder that great changes are possible, even when they seem like dreams. And when you have the chance to stand in Piazza del Duomo, look around you and find Emmanuel.
I hope you enjoyed reading and looking at the photos. I enjoyed making this blog, I hope you did too. Until next time, "Regards!"
