This famous square stands at the foot of the Capitolium Hill and houses the monument dedicated to the king Vittorio Emanuele: the enormous marble building that dominates the entire scenography, also hosts the Altare della Patria, surmounted with the statue of Rome; at its foot in 1921 the grave of the Milite Ignoto ("unknown soldier") was placed, in memory of the Italian soldiers who died during the First World War.

The building of this great monument raised in this century several controversies and it is often mentioned as an example of an architectural ruin. The reason for this hostile attitude is that during its construction, the context in which the monument had to be erected, was not considered: it is in fact, very close to the Capitol, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum, the heart of Rome. This location should have been honored through architectural choices that respected the context; it was not so, from a stylistic point of view, and most of all because of the dimensions. It's quite impressive to go from the proportions of Capitol Square, built for the measure of a man, to the Monument in memory of Vittorio Emanuele, which always gives the idea that human measures are too small.
On the other side we agree the fact that this is probably one of the most spectacular views of Rome by night.