Winged lion detail of "Il Vittoriano".
Il Vittoriano is a monument built to honor Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy. It is also known by other names: Altare della Patria "Altar of the Fatherland", Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II "National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II" as well as by the nicknames: The Wedding Cake, The Typewriter and False Teeth.
Designed by Giuseppe Sacconi in 1885, the white marble monument occupies a site between the Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill in Rome. After his passing in 1905 work continued under the direction of Gaetano Koch, and Manfredo Manfredi Pio Piacentini. The monument was finally completed in 1935.
The focal point of the monument is the equestrian statue of Vittorio Emanuele II, completed in 1889 by Emilio Gallori. On June 4, 1911 Vittorio Emanuele III inaugurated the monument during the International Exposition for the fiftieth anniversary of the Unification of Italy.