Beneath our feet lie stories etched in marble and bronze. This is Ai Caduti. It is Milan’s solemn tribute to its sons lost in war. Commissioned after World War I, Ai Caduti stands as a testament to sacrifice. It honors the Milanese soldiers who never returned.
Imagine Milan in the 1920s. The city sought to heal after the Great War. The Associazioni Combattentistiche wanted a monument. It would honor the fallen. Initial plans placed it near the train station. But this location near Sant’Ambrogio, a site of early Christian martyrs, was chosen.
Giovanni Muzio led the design team. He worked with Alberto Alpago Novello, Tomaso Buzzi, Ottavio Cabiati, and Gio Ponti. Construction began in 1927. Ai Caduti was inaugurated on November 4, 1928. The tenth anniversary of the war’s end. Prince Emanuele Filiberto, Duke of Aosta, presided. He was a war hero himself.
Look closely at the structure. It is an octagonal marble shrine. Some call it a tower with eight arches. The octagon is a traditional Italian design. It’s often used for shrines and baptistries.
Each arch represents a gate of old Milan. Through these gates, soldiers marched off to war. Envision them leaving through Comasina, Nuova, Orientale, Tosa, Romana, Ticinese, Vercellina, and Giovia. The four main sides feature reliefs. They depict key battles. Stone urns hold earth from those battlefields. The entrance is flanked by fasces.
Originally, a bronze statue was planned for the interior. Libero Andreotti created a model. It showed a naked horseman led by Victory. Critics panned the design. The statue was never completed.
Notice the bronze statue outside. Adolfo Wildt’s St. Ambrose tramples the seven sins. These sins are shown as mice under his feet.
Ai Caduti suffered damage during the 1943 Allied bombings. It was later restored. In 1973, subterranean floors were added. Mario Baccini designed this ossuary. Bronze plaques bear the names of ten thousand soldiers. They perished in both World Wars.
Ai Caduti is more than stone and marble. It embodies Milan’s memory. It is a place for reflection. Consider the cost of war as you stand here. Remember the individuals whose names are inscribed within. Ai Caduti stands as a reminder of their sacrifice. It urges us towards peace.