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Monumento Contrada

The colours of the Monumento district are red and blue, with white trim and the symbol of an eagle. The "Whites" symbolize the district’s the flax farmers, linen weavers and merchants who came from the area between Via del Fattorone and the fields of San Giovanni, so called due to the presence of a parish church, where flax used to be cultivated. Between the wooded area and the vineyards and olive groves of the Castel del Piano valley, there were extensive meadows, flax fields and productive vegetable gardens due to the fertile soil, temperate climate and presence of abundant spring water. The cultivation of flax also brought with it a flourishing weaving business, providing work especially for women. The festival of Saint John the Baptist, Monumento district’s patron saint, is celebrated on 29th  August at the Altar of the Monument to the Fallen which is situated in Piazza della Rimembranza (Remembrance Square), the venue for the district’s religious ceremonies. Designed by the architect and painter Francesco Notari in 1926, the monument is dedicated to the victims of all wars, including the many young people who died during the First World War. The design of the square was realized based on the model of Piazza del Popolo in Rome by the Castel del Piano painter and architect Orazio Imberciadori (1788-1861).