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War Memorial on the Gianicolo

This is a detail of a memorial to the patriots who died during the Italian Unification process in the 19th century. It’s located on the Janiculum Hill (called the Gianicolo in Italian), which overlooks Trastevere. I don’t get over here much, but it’s an amazing place from which to view the entire city. I’ve always liked this particular monument, which actually reads “Rome or Die” (Roma o Morte!) on the front. The hill is dotted with all sorts of homages to the Unification process because an important battle between French and Italian troops took place here in 1849 when the Italian side was struggling to bring Papal ruled Rome into the fold. From the architecture you can tell immediately that it was built during the Fascist regime, that Mussolini…always trying to recall the past! Really though, it’s worth a trip up there. In fact, I might be going back this weekend to visit the outdoor bar that set up nearby this very monument.