Constructed of bright, white marble, the monument is invariably too bright (if it’s recently been cleaned) or conspicuously dirty (if it’s had even a few days to soak up Rome’s ever-present pollution). Italians are concerned with aesthetics, and the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II (as it’s called in Italian) is considered an eyesore. Still, Romans – almost to a person – hate it. Later, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was placed inside, along with a museum to Italian Reunification. Alternately known locally as “The Vittoriano” (the only non-derisive nickname I know of), “The Typewriter,” “The False Teeth,” or “The Wedding Cake,” the enormous monument was built in the early 20th century to honor a unified Italy’s first king. The Vittorio Emanuele II Monument in Rome is known by few nicknames, and most of them aren’t flattering.
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