The 53-meter ship's wheel monument in Brindisi

In the port city of Brindisi, the Monumento al Marinaio d'Italia stands at a height of about 53 meters. The structure is in the shape of a giant ship's wheel and is made of cemento armato interamente rivestita in carparo (pietra calcarenitica compatta di colore dorato). Built in 1933, the monument is colloquially known among Brindisi residents as 'la jatta ‘ssittata' ('the seated cat').

The monument's construction began in 1932 and was completed by 1933, following a national competition for architects and sculptors. The winning design by Luigi Brunati and Amerigo Bartoli featured a large wheel with a chapel-shrine. In 1954, a statue was placed in a niche below the monument's summit. In 1965, a votive altar with a perpetual flame was installed facing the port, and in 1968, a ship's bell from the corazzata Benedetto Brin was placed in the crypt. In 2014, ownership was transferred to the municipality of Brindisi.

The monument is managed by the Brindisi commune and is accessible from a plaza behind the port. Visitors can ascend to the highest point via a spiral staircase or an elevator. From the summit, one can see a panoramic view of the city, the port, and the Brindisi airport. The crypt, shaped like an overturned hull, contains inscriptions of the names of 5,992 sailors from the Regia Marina Militare and Regia Marina Mercantile who died from the Unità d'Italia until the date of the monument's inauguration.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons