Monument to Sandro Pertini, Memorial monument in Croce Rossa Square, Milan, Italy

The Monument to Sandro Pertini is a monumental fountain by architect Aldo Rossi, inaugurated in 1990 at the end of the pedestrian area of Via Croce Rossa, at the intersection of Via Monte Napoleone and Via Alessandro Manzoni. It consists of a podium closed on three sides by stone walls; the back wall has a triangular conduit pouring water into a basin at its centre. The cube measures eight metres per side and is built from 50x25x25 cm blocks of grey-pink Candoglia marble, the same stone as Milan Cathedral; the other elements are in copper alloy.

The monument was donated to Milan by Metropolitana Milanese on the occasion of the opening of metro line 3, and inaugurated in 1990 on a 1988 design by Aldo Rossi. Rossi had already explored its elements in two earlier projects: the unbuilt 1962 Monument to the Resistance in Cuneo, made with Luca Meda and Gianugo Polesello, and the 1965 Monument to the Partisans in Segrate. From 2010 calls for its removal divided public opinion, and in April 2012 the city began a conservation restoration.

The monument was donated to Milan by Metropolitana Milanese on the opening of metro line 3. Its nickname and the recurring polemics, including a 2010 removal proposal and a petition signed by about a hundred artists and architects, are part of how Milanese people talk about it.

The fountain stands at the end of the pedestrian area of Via Croce Rossa, where Via Monte Napoleone meets Via Alessandro Manzoni. It is a monument to walk up to and look at, not to climb: the podium is closed on three sides by stone walls, with the basin set into the back wall. The Candoglia marble blocks and copper-alloy elements are best seen up close.

A triangular bronze-framed opening in the back wall channels water into a basin, adding movement to the geometric form. This subtle feature shows how Rossi combined practical and visual elements within a single design.