The Darkly Humorous Tale of Carlo Cattaneo's Statue in Milan - Italy's Ode to a

On Milan's via Santa Margherita, you'll stumble upon the Carlo Cattaneo Monument, a monument to a liberal bigwig who left his mark in Italy's Five Days. The statue, created in 1901 by Ettore Ferrari, shows Cattaneo holding a book, finger poised, lost in thought. The pedestal features a lively depiction of the Five Days, complete with the rejection of Radetzky's armistice. Two allegorical figures, Friends with Names like Wisdom and Thought, stand on either side. The back carries a portrayal of Liberty or a Republic. The monument, unveiled on June 23, 1901, marked the centennial of Cattaneo's birth. It was no ordinary occasion, with speeches from various republican societies and Masonic lodges. A peculiar gathering for a peculiar man, it would seem.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons