MONUMENT TO GIUSEPPE VERDI IN MILAN

In Piazza Michelangelo Buonarroti, just a few steps from the Rest Home for Musicians, desired and financed by Giuseppe Verdi himself, stands the majestic Monument dedicated to the Maestro. The work was inaugurated on October 10, 1913, on the centenary of the birth of the Swan of Busseto, in the presence of authorities and citizens who wished to pay tribute to one of the strongest symbols of Italian cultural identity.

The original project had been entrusted to the sculptor Antonio Carminati, but his sudden death in 1908 led to the choice of Enrico Butti, who completed the work in time for the celebrations. The result is a bronze statue depicting Verdi standing, with his hands behind his back, caught in an attitude of contemplation and dignity. Not a triumphal, overly mythological icon, but the concrete image of a man who was able to transform his talent into a universal legacy.

The monument rests on a wide base decorated with four allegorical reliefs, representing as many aspects of his world:

«On the front panel stands out the spiritual form of melody, with several figures intent upon it, in the acts of composing the various sensations aroused in them by the vision: on one side, the allegory of simple pastoral life; on the other, the poem of patriotic love, which found such noble expression in Verdi’s notes, represented in the moving gathering of the survivors before the battlefield, while the poet sings the deeds of fallen heroes; finally, the tragedy of hatred and sorrow, around the satanic figure of evil delighting in misfortune and death»

The location is not accidental: right in front of Casa Verdi, which still today hosts elderly and needy musicians, the monument creates a visual and symbolic bond with the Maestro’s last great work, one not written on a score but carved into real life. Thus, Verdi’s figure, firm and vigilant in the square, continues to watch over his “house,” keeping guard over those who have made music their existence.

For visitors to Milan, the monument is a meaningful stop: it tells of the city’s gratitude toward its composer and reminds us that Verdi’s greatness lies not only in his notes, but also in the public memory and civic responsibility that he himself wished to leave as a legacy.