Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, Bronze and granite monument in Turin, Italy.

The Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II stands in Largo Vittorio Emanuele II, at the junction of Corso Vittorio Emanuele II and Corso Galileo Ferraris. The bronze and granite work by architect Pietro Costa sets a standing statue of the king, bare-headed on a carpet, on four tall Doric columns. Bronze groups at the base represent Unity, Brotherhood, Work and Freedom, and eagles in the corners hold festoons bearing the dates 1848, 1859, 1866 and 1870. The whole rises 39 metres.

King Umberto I commissioned this monument to honor his father Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of unified Italy, with construction spanning from 1882 to 1899. The completion occurred during a period of rapid urban development and consolidation of the newly formed Italian Kingdom.

Turin residents nicknamed the monument "Barba Vigiu" (Old Beard), after the king's beard, and also call it "the King on the Roofs" for its 39-metre height. The bronze eagles at the corners hold garlands bearing the dates 1848, 1859, 1866 and 1870, the years that led to Italian Unification.

The monument is situated at an easily accessible location in central Turin and can be visited throughout the year since it stands on a public plaza. The site serves as a helpful landmark for visitors to orient themselves in this western section of the city.

Turin residents also call the monument "Barba Vigiu", a Piedmontese nickname for the bearded king. The 39-metre structure turns its back to the west, toward France, a gesture linked to the political friction the Savoys faced with that country during unification.