The decorative programme in the original project by Giuseppe Sacconi
Giuseppe Sacconi's project was the winner in the 1882 competition and provided for in the central area, on the first terrace, a niche with The Goddess Rome and its two figured reliefs. At this height, the two reliefs, like all the decorations of the Vittoriano, had to have a historical subject, that is, inspired by the events of the Risorgimento and in particular by the resolution of the 'Roman question'.
Portrait of Giuseppe Sacconi
Design by architect Giuseppe Sacconi, winner of the second competitive tender for the project
The first relief, entitled 20th September - The breach of Porta Pia had to depict the irruption of the army of the Kingdom of Italy, led by General Raffaele Cadorna, into the city, which took place precisely on 20th September 1870. The second relief, called 2 October - The plebiscite of Rome, had to illustrate the popular consultation that on 2 October 1870 had formally sanctioned the annexation of the city to the Kingdom of Italy, an indispensable premise for the promotion to capital.
The Capture of Rome, also known as the Breach of Porta Pia: a piece of the Aurelian Walls after the cannonade that marked the end of the Papal State