Balbo Monument facts for kids
The Balbo Monument is a very old column with a newer stone base. The column itself is about 2,000 years old! It was built between 117 and 38 BC. This amazing ancient column was brought from an old port city near Rome, Italy. In 1933, Benito Mussolini gave it as a gift to the city of Chicago. This gift honored a special flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The flight was led by Italo Balbo and landed in Chicago for the Century of Progress World's Fair.
What is the Balbo Monument?
The Balbo Monument is made of two main parts. One part is a very old column. The other part is a stone base built more recently. The column is a greenish color. It stands thirteen feet tall and is three feet wide. It's a unique piece of history in Chicago.
Its Ancient History
The column comes from a place called Ostia, an ancient port town. It was found near a gate called Porta Marina. The building it came from was known as the Prospetto a Mare. This means "Prospectus to Sea." Many buildings in Ostia were changed or built over long ago. This happened during the second century AD. Even though this building lasted through many changes, we don't have many records. So, its original purpose is still a bit of a mystery.
How It Was Built
The Romans made the column from a type of stone called breccia. Breccia is formed from angular gravel and pieces of boulders. The base of the monument was created by two Italian architects. Their names were Capraro and Komar. They used travertine, a light-colored limestone. This stone was often used in Roman buildings.
The Special Message
On the base, there is a message written in Italian. In English, it says:
This column,
twenty centuries old,
was placed on the beach of Ostia.
Ostia was a port of Imperial Rome.
It was there to protect the good fortune and victories
of Roman ships.
Italy, by command of Benito Mussolini,
gives this to Chicago.
It is a symbol and a memory
of the Atlantic Squadron led by Balbo.
They bravely flew across the ocean
in the 11th year
of that time.
