Altare della Patria (Victor Emmanuel II Monument)
Romans mock this white "wedding cake" as "the typewriter" — then ride the lift up for the rooftop view over old Rome.
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Giuseppe Sacconi's unification monument (1885-1935) holds Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, two ever-burning flames, and a rooftop terrace above Piazza Venezia and the edge of the Forum.
What to look for
- The two braziers flanking the tomb, plaqued "Italians Abroad to the Motherland," watched over by a military honor guard
- Sixteen 5-meter statues of Italy's regions along the portico cornice — each usually carved by a sculptor native to that region
- The goddess Roma against a golden backdrop in the central Altar of the Fatherland
Skip the 196-step portico climb — a lift added in 2007 runs to the 360-degree panoramic terrace.
Altare della Patria (Victor Emmanuel II Monument) is one of 40 sights worth the detour in Rome, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Rome pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Rome
- Vatican CityThe world's smallest sovereign state fits in 44 hectares — you cross its border by stepping over a white line.
- ColosseumAround 50,000 Romans packed this stone oval to watch spectacles staged over a two-level warren of cages beneath the arena floor.
- St. Peter's BasilicaThe world's largest church, built directly over the grave believed to hold St. Peter's bones.
- Sistine ChapelMichelangelo painted the ceiling standing up, not on his back — and cardinals still elect the pope in this room.
- PantheonA 1,900-year-old concrete dome with a hole punched in the top — when it rains in Rome, it rains inside too.
- Stadio OlimpicoOne 70,634-seat bowl, two cross-town tenants: AS Roma and SS Lazio both play here.