La Statue of Liberty it is not entirely original and unique in the world as many believe; majestic, suggestive, quarry and can be visited by accessing from the inside, was born from an Italian idea. Just outside the center of Arona, along the road that climbs towards Alto Vergante, a statue dedicated to San Carlo Borromeo stands out; built with the same technique, but "previous" to the one that represents the USA
The San Carlone
The Statue of Liberty was actually born from that 1610, after the canonization of San Carlo Borromeo. The cousin, Cardinal Federico Borromeo, famous for the Manzonian events of the Promessi sposi; he wanted to dedicate a Sacro Monte and a statue to his predecessor. The monumental statue, then begun in 1614 and finished in 1697 by Bernardo Falconi and Siro Zanelli, based on models by Cerano.
The colossus of San Carlo Borromeo, called "Sancarlone”, Hides a staircase inside. You can climb up to the top of the statue from where you can observe the whole surrounding panorama. At one point, there are two ladders that lead to different points of the head, where six people can fit together. The climb is quite steep, it takes place in shifts.
Visitors they can go up a few at a time, and look out from the "windows" of the statue. You can see the horizon directly on the lake from the nose, a unique spectacle!
Gustave Eiffel
In fact, the colossus dedicated to San Carlo is the second metal statue, representing a human figure and visible from the inside, the tallest in the world; after the Statue of Liberty in New York. Few people know that Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi, who later designed the Statue of Liberty, he stayed in the city of Arona to study the structure of the colossus well. In this regard, the lucky tourists will be able to find at the foot of the most famous American statue, a plaque that recalls the link between the two "giants".
The plaque under the NY statue with the torch recalls the link with the model of the San Carlo di Arona. Two centuries after the Italian statue dedicated to the saint, Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi designed a larger colossus; which would become one of the most photographed and reproduced in the world. The American statue was then made by Gustave Eiffel, a gift from France, assembled in New York.
The statue of liberty inspired by Italy
Therefore, the statue of "San Carlone", it was not simply a source of inspiration, but a real model to be traced for a unique and colossal work; the symbol of the United States.
The Statue of Liberty, which represents the land of opportunities where everything is possible, the first thing our emigrants saw; it was born as the story tells, certainly from the Colossus of Rhodes, but above all from the statue of San Carlo di Arona.
Few people know that the restorations of the US statue were led by an Italian American and that perhaps there is another link with Italy. In the beautiful basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, there is an enchanting sculpture that is very reminiscent, especially in the pose of the female figure; the famous American monument, of later construction. The work is called "Freedom of Poetry", made between 1870 and 1883, a really interesting coincidence!
