Monumento ai Caduti di Velo Veronese

The Monument to the Fallen of the Great War in Velo Veronese was inaugurated on June 18, 1922.

The current Square of Victory was chosen as the area where the Monument was built.

Each family offered and contributed what they could: money, materials, or their own labor. In a little over 2 years, the Monument to the Fallen was finished and inaugurated.

Built from red Verona marble with decorations in Carrara marble in the shape of an honorary column, it consists of a series of bases and steps leading to a central pedestal supporting a column topped with a bronze eagle - a symbol of military victories derived from Greco-Roman tradition.

- On the north and south faces, there are two artillery shells corresponding to the list of the Fallen from 1915 and 1918.

- On the west face facing the flagpole, there is a relief of a coat of arms, associated with a third list of those who died from illness.

- On the east face facing the town hall, there is a base that supports a marble statue from Carrara.

''The Angel'' by the artist Eugenio Prati appears from heavy robes and voluminous wings on his back. He holds a bronze sword in both hands, with a floral wreath hanging around his neck - symbols of the battles fought victoriously and the martyrdom of soldiers.

The area of the Monument was enclosed with artillery shell casings at the corners of the sacred area and a heavy iron chain placed between one shell and another, which over time was replaced by an elegant wrought iron gate. In the early 2000s, the iron gate was removed, and the monument took on the characteristics that can be seen today. It underwent a significant restoration that restored it to its original splendor.

It is also told that during the construction of the statue's base, a so-called time capsule was created as was customary: embedded in the concrete would still be a glass bottle, sealed with wax, containing a one-cent lira coin and a piece of paper bearing the date 1922, the date of the inauguration of the monument, inscribed underneath with the famous phrase ''VELO AI SUOI PRODI..1922..''

In the summer of 1948, the Patronage was built next to the Parish Church: a building dedicated to the Fallen of all wars, now named in honor of Teatro Orlandi. On the facade, a stele was placed containing the photos and names of all the fallen from the town, updated with the fallen from the Second World War.

THE MONUMENT TO THE FALLEN WITH ITS CELEBRATED ANGEL HAS NOW BECOME ONE OF THE SYMBOLS OF THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER WITH THE ORATORY OF MONTE PURGA.