Every citizen of Caserta has, at least once in his life, crossed the imposing Bridges of the ValleyThis is one of the most majestic and fascinating sections of the incredible engineering work designed by Luigi Vanvitelli. However, not everyone knows that, hidden beneath it, there is another monument worthy of interest. We are talking about theOssuary to the Fallen, erected to commemorate the many victims of one of the hardest clashes of the entire Italian Risorgimento: the Battle of the Volturno.
The ossuary monument to the fallen of the Risorgimento
Along the road of SP116, the long state road that crosses the provinces of Caserta e Benevento, at some point you come across those known as the Bridges of the ValleySuddenly the carriageways split, allowing you to pass under the imposing stone arches, leaving both driver and passengers speechless every time. Not far away, hidden in a narrow street that almost seems to climb up the Mount Longano, there is a small monument featuring a winged figure placed above the entrance door and a bronze star on top of the small structure. This is an ossuary, or a monument erected to commemorate the fallen and to house their remains. The victims in question were those of one of the many clashes that characterized the Battle of the Volturno.
The battle
We are in theOctober 1860The Bourbon and Garibaldi troops crowded various scenarios throughout Terra di Lavoro. In the area between the Garzano Mountains e Longano approximately 5 thousand Garibaldians led by Nino Bixio, one of the most loyal and capable generals in Garibaldi's ranks. The objective was to block any Bourbon advance and prevent a counteroffensive towards Caserta. Leading the 4 troops of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies there is Von Meckel which, at the dawn of 1 ° October, the charge against Garibaldi's men is sounded. After two days of fighting, Bixio manages to overwhelm Von Mickel, forcing him to retreat towards Amorosi. A key event for the entire Italian Risorgimento because, if Garibaldi's line had fallen, the Bourbons could have attacked the rear of Garibaldi's army, engaged between Capua and Santa Maria Capua Vetere.
What the monument looks like
Given the strategic importance of the battle fought, the October 1, 1889 An ossuary was inaugurated right where the battle took place. The event was presided over by the then mayor of Maddaloni. Joseph Tammaro and the committee that guided the construction phases of the work, designed by theIng. Carmelo DestinoThe monument took about 10 years to build. The entrance door is set in a quadrangular structure on which are sculpted high reliefs depicting the faces of Garibaldi, Bixio, and other protagonists of the battle, signed Enrico Mossutti. Of the foundry Bracale it is instead the winged figure of the Vittoria placed above the door, while the star on the top of the monument depicts national unity. Finally, a marble slab placed on the arch of the Aqueduct in front of the ossuary recalls the participation of King Umberto I, who however will never be able to visit the complex due to health problems.
