The Duke of Aosta monument is a large bronze group on Piazza Castello, Turin's main square, honouring Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy, Duke of Aosta, who commanded Italy's Third Army in the First World War. It was unveiled on 4 July 1937, exactly six years after his death, and its sculptor, Eugenio Baroni, did not live to see it finished.
The Duke of Aosta monument at a glance
- Where: on Piazza Castello, on the side behind Palazzo Madama, near the start of Via Po.
- Unveiled: 4 July 1937.
- By: Eugenio Baroni; after his death in 1935 the work was completed under the supervision of Publio Morbiducci.
- What it is today: a First World War memorial in a busy public square, free to see at any time.
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes.
A royal general and a contested commission
Emanuele Filiberto (1869–1931) was a cousin of King Victor Emmanuel III and the son of Amedeo, who had briefly been King of Spain. In the First World War he led the Third Army on the Isonzo and Piave fronts from 1915 to 1918. It was the one Italian army that was never broken, even during the retreat after Caporetto, and it became known as the undefeated army. After the war the duke was made a Marshal of Italy. He died in Turin on 4 July 1931 and, at his own wish, was buried among his soldiers at the war memorial of Redipuglia.
Turin decided to build him a monument, and a competition in the early 1930s came down to two well-known sculptors, Eugenio Baroni and Arturo Martini. Full-size mock-ups were set up and judged, and Baroni won because his design best captured the experience of the 1915–18 war, although the committee asked him to rework the figure of the duke. Baroni died in 1935, and his will named Publio Morbiducci to oversee the bronze casting of his nine statues. The monument was unveiled in 1937, in the middle of the Fascist era, and its rugged, expressive style is quite unlike the polished royal statues elsewhere in the city.
What to look for
- The duke at the top, shown not in parade dress but wrapped in a heavy wartime greatcoat, as Baroni reworked him.
- The groups of bronze figures around the base, evoking the anonymous mass of Italians who fought the war rather than generals and heroes.
- The rough, deeply modelled surfaces, typical of Baroni's expressive style, which catch the light differently through the day.
- The contrast with Palazzo Madama right behind it, where Roman gate towers, a medieval castle and a Baroque facade meet in one building.
A monument shaped by the city view
When the mock-ups were tested, the jury looked at them from the church of the Gran Madre di Dio across the Po and from points along Via Po, and asked that the side groups be kept small enough not to block the view down the long arcaded street. Stand at the end of Via Po and look back toward the square to see how the monument sits in that axis.
Tips for your visit
- Come in the morning, when the square is quieter and you can study the figures without crowds.
- Walk all the way around the base: the figures change completely from one side to the other.
- Remember it is a war memorial; it is fine to photograph, but don't climb on the base.
- Combine it with the Royal Palace and Palazzo Madama, both on the same square.
Nearby
- Palazzo Madama: the castle-palace in the middle of the square, now the city's museum of ancient art, with views from its tower.
- Royal Palace of Turin: the former Savoy residence on the north side of the square, with state rooms, the Royal Armoury and gardens.
- Teatro Regio: Turin's opera house on the square's north-eastern side, rebuilt inside in a bold modern style in 1973.
- Via Po: the long arcaded street leading toward the river and the Mole Antonelliana, good for cafés and bookshops.
See Turin with World City Trail
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Facts checked in October 2026.