Altare della Patria (Vittoriano)
Vittoriano
A monumental memorial of white marble on Piazza Venezia, honouring Italian unification. Its top terrace offers 360-degree views over Rome.
The Vittoriano was built to commemorate Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy. It was unveiled in 1911 and completed in 1935. The entire structure is made of white Botticino marble. In front of it stand a bronze equestrian statue and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by soldiers on duty. Because of its enormous size, Romans have nicknamed it the “typewriter” and the “wedding cake.” The main steps and the Museum of the Italian Risorgimento are free to visit. For a fee, you can take the panoramic glass lift on the back side to the top, where a terrace features a four-horse chariot statue. From there, you get a 360-degree view over the Roman Forum, the Colosseum and the city's rooftops, making it one of the best viewpoints in Rome. It is on Piazza Venezia, and several bus lines stop nearby.
Opening hours
09:30–19:30 (panoramic elevator runs until about 19:00)
Nearby sights
- Capitoline Museums
- Trajan's Market & Imperial Fora
- Roman Forum / Palatine Hill
- Church of the Gesù
- Theatre of Marcellus
- Mouth of Truth
- Tiber Island
- Pantheon