Statua del Gigante

Statue in Monterosso al Mare

CC BY-SA 4.0 / Waldemar L

Il Gigante stands at the far end of Fegina beach, marking the beginning of the marina and extending beyond the parking area. This sculpture, crafted from reinforced concrete and iron in 1910, is the creative work of Arrigo Minerbi from Ferrara and engineer Levacher. It was commissioned by Giovanni and Juanita Pastine, Monterosso natives who had amassed wealth in Argentina and returned to their homeland. Standing at a towering height of 14 meters and weighing 1700 quintals, the statue depicts Neptune and adorned the magnificent Villa Pastine. The villa also boasted a large shell-shaped terrace that suffered bombing damage during the Second World War. A significant storm in 1966 weakened the giant, which underwent partial restoration. Presently, the statue is reminiscent of a truncated figure, missing arms, a trident, the shell, and a leg.

All that remains of Villa Pastine is a solitary tower. Erected between 1906 and 1910 on the Casa dei Doganieri, which Montale noted, the villa encompassed three floors, a side tower, terrace, loggia with columns, bridge, and a marble staircase with three flights. After Giovanni’s demise following the First World War, Juanita returned to Buenos Aires, and the villa fell into a state of disrepair for over three decades, changing hands among various owners until it succumbed to the destruction of the second war.

The Statua del Gigante appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Monterosso al Mare!

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