The Iron Giant of Largo La Foppa: Celebrating the Unsung Hero of Italy's

Giovanni Battista Piatti, a name all but forgotten by time, was the architect of the grand endeavor that was the Frejus Rail Tunnel, the first link between Italy and France via rail. The colossal bronze statue in Largo La Foppa, the work of Salvatore Pisani, stands as a testament to Piatti's vision. The pioneering work of Piatti on the project dates back to 1876, with Antonio Stoppani kickstarting the monument's undertaking. Following Stoppani's departure, Luca Beltrami took over the subscription process, leading to the monument's dedication in November, 1894.

A speech by Beltrami, delivered the eve before the ceremony, shed light on Piatti's ground-breaking scientific contributions. Today, the Monument to Giovanni Battista Piatti, shrouded in anonymity, stands as a silent memorial acknowledging an engineer whose work played a pivotal role in Italy's history, yet remains largely unacknowledged.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikimedia Commons