Monument of Manzoni, Bronze statue in Piazza Manzoni, Lecco, Italy.
The Monument of Manzoni is a bronze statue of the writer seated in a meditative pose, looking toward the lake. It stands on a 4.5-metre pink Baveno granite base by Giuseppe Fumagalli, adorned with three bronze high reliefs by Francesco Confalonieri: the Abduction of Lucia, the death of Don Rodrigo at the Lazaretto, and the Marriage of the Betrothed at the poet's feet.
The monument was dedicated in 1891 after the city launched a project to honor the writer following his death in 1873. Sculptor Francesco Confalonieri was chosen to create the work.
The three bronze high reliefs on the base, made by Confalonieri, condense the novel into guilt, expiation and triumphant innocence: the abduction of Lucia, the death of Don Rodrigo at the Lazzaretto and, at the poet's feet, the marriage of the betrothed. A plaque on the former Croce di Malta hotel in nearby Piazza Garibaldi recalls Carducci's Lecco speech at the 1891 inauguration.
The monument sits on Piazza Manzoni in Lecco's city center and is easy to locate. The square is surrounded by restaurants and shops where you can get refreshments or supplies during your visit.
The two coats of arms—the Kingdom of Italy on the left and the city of Lecco on the right, each ringed by a laurel wreath—are carved on the rear side of the granite base, not the front, so visitors who only face the statue miss them.
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