In 1879, a competition was held for the building of a monument in remembrance of "Le Cinque Giornate" of Milan: the armed insurrection which, for a short period in 1848, had freed the town from Austrian rule. The aim of the local government was to erect an architectural monument of social use, a gate or large arcade, near the customs building of Porta Vittoria (Victory Gate), which already bore that name, taken from the battle which had occurred nearby. In this way, the authorities could also to solve the town planning problem of access to the town along a main route which was under ex- pansion. The debate involving critics and administrators about the plans led to a first, and then second public competition, and offers a clear picture of the historic and symbolic interpretation of the architecture of the time, which was typical of contemporary Italian culture. Eventually, owing, above all, to the pressure of public opinion, the plan was given up in order to realize a large scale sculptural monument.
Keywords: Milan - Risorgimento - Monument - Commemoration