The marble monument in largo De Luca

The Monumento ai caduti is situated in largo De Luca, quinta prospettica di Via Giacomo Matteotti, in the city center of Avellino. Inaugurated in 1943, it replaced an earlier bronze monument that was melted down for wartime needs. Following the war, a local sculptor who had emigrated to America sent a sketch to the then-mayor, Aster Vetroni, to begin the process of creating a memorial. The current monument was built in 1942 using some residual materials from the previous work.

The structure is the work of architect Francesco Guarino and features a tall column of Gesualdo Cipollino marble with a simplified Corinthian capital. In the front, a large bas-relief of Carrara marble depicts a winged Victory with spread wings embracing a Roman soldier on the left and an Italian infantryman on the right, both of whom kiss her. They lean against a block that shows signs of a removed fasces, while each holds a short sword in a vertical position.

After the fall of the regime, several fascist symbols were removed, including a fasces from the bas-relief and specific inscriptions. Four bullets were placed on the base to commemorate the heavy bombardments that occurred in 1943. The only surviving inscription remains on the monument, reading: "AI CONCITTADINI/ CADUTI NELLA GRANDE GUERRA/ PER/ RESTITUIRE ALLA PATRIA/ IL GIUSTO CONFINE/"

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons