The Monument to Trilussa

The monument, dedicated to one of the most famous Roman poets, stands in the square named after him since 1952, previously known as Piazza Ponte Sisto, from the suggestive bridge connecting the characteristic Rione Trastevere to the Rione Regola.

Born in the Capital in October 1871, Carlo Alberto Salustri decided to sign his compositions under the pseudonym of Trilussa, derived from the anagram of his surname. Author of famous Sonnets and Roman Fables, he made the bourgeoisie, its habits and customs the main target of his satire, not without a certain moralism.

Following his death on 21 December 1950, the Municipality of Rome paid him homage by arranging the placement of an ancient Roman-style sarcophagus on his tomb in the Monumental Cemetery of Verano. Four years later, a statue in his honour was placed in the small square in Trastevere.

The work, created by the sculptor Lorenzo Ferri, was inaugurated on 21 December 1954 in the presence of a large crowd and positioned on the right side of the square. The bronze half-bust stands on a brick curtain pedestal decorated with ancient architectural elements. It portrays the poet bent as reciting his poems, accompanying the poetical rhythmic cadence with his hand movement.

Under the sculpture, an inscription shows the verses of All'ombra, representative of the subtle satire and pungent and popular irony of one of the great "voices of Rome":

Mentre me leggo er solito giornale
spaparacchiato all'ombra d'un pajaro
vedo un porco e je dico: - Addio, majale! –
vedo un ciuccio e je dico: - Addio, somaro! –

Forse 'ste bestie nun me capiranno,
ma provo armeno la soddisfazzione
de poté dì le cose come stanno
senza paura de finì in priggione.

Photo: Sovrintendenza Capitolina ai Beni Culturali Official Website