Victor Emmanuel II Square is the city's main square and owes its name to the first King of Italy. It is called 'Il Borgo' by the people of Monopoli because of its size: it is one of the largest squares in Apulia (22,000 square metres). The idea behind its construction in 1796 was to create a large square shaped like a hinge between the old town and the new city. It consists of two symmetrical rectangles divided by a pedestrian walkway and dotted with trees and benches.

In the centre of one side of the square is a War Memorial, inaugurated in 1928 and dedicated to the 300 Monopolitans who died in the First World War. The monument is topped by the marble figure of a young hero drawing a sword in a triumphant gesture. Further down, on one side, is a mother blessing her son leaving for war, on the other a woman, symbolising the Fatherland, consoling a widow and an orphan of a fallen soldier. In fact, the monument is intended to be not a eulogy to the victorious fighters but a tribute to the heartbreaking grief suffered by the families of soldiers who died in battle. Around the monument is a chain recovered from the anchor of the battleship 'Benedetto Brin'.

The other half of the square is adorned by a recently built monumental fountain. Finally, there are air-raid shelters in the square that served as shelter during British bombing raids during World War II.

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CREDITS: Comune di Monopoli.