Rome - National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II

(Local Name: Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II / Vittoriano) The National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II - a memorial to which there are varying reactions, of approval or disapproval - was built between 1885 and 1911 to celebrate the winning of Italian unity in 1870 and to commemorate the first king of united Italy, Victor Emmanuel II (d. 1878). The monument is 135m/440ft long by 130m/425ft deep and rears up to a height of 70m/230ft. Half-way up are the "Altar of the Fatherland" (Altare della Patria) and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which regularly feature in city tours.

The east part of the Monument houses the Museo Centrale del Risorgimento (museum of Italian independence; tel. 6 79 35 98) and the Museo Sacrano delle Bandiere della Marina Militare (museum of flags; closed for restoration).