Cavour Square

Welcome to Cavour Square, just behind the magnificent building housing Rome’s Supreme Court. The monument in the center is a tribute to Count Cavour, also known as the Father of the Fatherland, alongside Victor Emmanuel II, Garibaldi and Mazzini. These 4 men worked to unite the various Italian provinces into a single country, that is, the Italy we know today. Cavour is also a key figure in French history; you see, his secret pact with Napoleon III mapped out the borders of France. Cavour traded Savoy and Nice for the latter’s military support in the event of war against Austria, which ruled over Lombardy. And so it happened. In 1861, following the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy, Cavour became the very first President of the Council of Ministers, that is to say, Prime Minister of the new Italian State. Sadly, his career was cut short, as he died of malaria 2 months after taking office. So here, you have his bronze statue, showing him standing on a granite pedestal, surrounded by two figures representing Rome and Italy. The square is also home to a Waldensian Protestant church. This Protestant denomination, born in Lyon at the end of the 12th century, was condemned as heretical and its followers were actively persecuted. They were massacred throughout the world, and found refuge in northern Italy, Argentina and Uruguay. It wasn’t until 1853 that the bans on the Waldensians were lifted. Behind you, you’ll also see the Adriano Theater, built in the 19th century and recently converted into a cinema.