Monumento a Tito Speri
Monumento a Tito SperiP.za Tito Speri - Brescia BS
In the very centre of the city, among streets that still remember barricades and cannon fire, the Monument to Tito Speri keeps alive the memory of one of the Risorgimento's best-loved heroes. Patriot, rebel, key figure of the Ten Days of Brescia, Tito Speri is today carved in stone. But he still speaks to passers-by.
A square created for a monument
The work was created by the sculptor Domenico Ghidoni and inaugurated on 2 September 1888, thanks to a popular subscription promoted by the Società Reduci delle Patrie Battaglie. To accommodate it, the municipal administration decided to completely transform the old Albera square, which first became Piazza del 1849, then Piazzetta Tito Speri, in honour of the monument.
The inauguration was a real civic celebration: flags, bouquets, memorial wreaths and a huge crowd.
On either side of the statue, the veterans of the Ten Days lined up in silence.
The monument reflects the verist spirit that marked 19th-century Lombard art. Ghidoni sculpted Speri with expressive power, attention to detail, and sharp realism. The mimicry is intense: his right hand points to the castle, like an invitation to stand firm and refuse to retreat. The tensed body is already in motion.
The statue rests on a base made of Botticino marble, designed by architect Antonio Tagliaferri. On each side, commemorative plaques recount the exploits of Tito Speri and the crucial events of the Ten Days of Brescia.
