Coluna Capitolina, Roman memorial column in Natal, Brazil
The Coluna Capitolina is a Roman column standing in Praça Pedro Velho, Natal. It was donated by Italy as a gift to the people of Rio Grande do Norte, and it is supposedly from the Capitoline Hill in Rome. The column commemorates the 1928 non-stop flight from Rome by Carlo del Prete and Arturo Ferrarin.
The column was donated by Italy to the people of Rio Grande do Norte in thanks for the reception given to pilots Carlo del Prete and Arturo Ferrarin, who on 5 July 1928 reached the Potiguar coast from Rome after a non-stop flight of more than 49 hours covering over 7,000 km. It is named for the Capitoline Hill in Rome, its supposed place of origin. In 1935, during the Intentona Comunista, the column was toppled.
The column is also called Monumento aos Heróis da Travessia do Atlântico, recalling the first non-stop South Atlantic crossing by Carlo del Prete and Arturo Ferrarin in 1928. Because Benito Mussolini promoted the gift, it has at times been read as a fascist symbol, and in 1935, during the Intentona Comunista, it was pulled down.
The column stands in Praça Pedro Velho, in Natal's central area, within walking distance of other downtown landmarks. It is an outdoor monument, visible at any time from the square, and its height makes it a useful orientation point when moving around the centre.
The column is said to come from the Capitoline Hill in Rome, which gave it its name, though the claim rests on supposition rather than documentation. Its donor was Benito Mussolini, and in 1935, during the Intentona Comunista uprising, the monument was pulled down.
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