Colonna infame, Pillar of shame in Piazza Vacchero, Prè district, Italy
The Colonna Infame is a stone column in Piazza Vacchero in the Prè district, marked by Latin inscriptions on its surface. It was erected on the site of a demolished house and remains partially hidden by a fountain built in 1644 by descendants of the Vachero family.
Giulio Cesare Vachero conspired with the House of Savoy against Genoa in 1628 and was executed for his betrayal. His house was demolished, and the column was erected on that site as a permanent mark of public condemnation.
The column embodies traditional Genoese values of loyalty and justice that still resonate in the city's identity today. It shows how communities preserved their principles through permanent monuments that shaped civic memory.
The column stands near Via del Campo in the heart of the Prè district and is easily accessible from the old town streets. The overlapping fountain makes it photographically challenging, so trying different angles will help you see it clearly.
The Latin inscriptions document an extreme punishment system: not just beheading, but also property confiscation, exile of children, and house destruction. This total punishment aimed to erase the entire family and their descendants from the community.
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