At the beginning of the Volodymyrska Gorka Park, opposite the Alexander Church, stands the Dante Alighieri monument – one of the most unusual monuments in Kyiv. It was erected in 2015 to mark the 750th anniversary of the birth of the great Italian poet, and the place for it was chosen by the Italian side, wishing to place the sculpture next to the Catholic church. The opening took place on December 10 with the participation of Mayor Klitschko and the Italian ambassador, although on the eve vandals knocked off the head of the eagle at the poet’s feet – but everything was restored before the solemn ceremony.
The sculptural composition is made of genuine Carrara white marble – a rare material that is mined only in one place in Italy. Dante is depicted full-length in a toga, with a wreath on his head and a scroll in his hand, and an eagle sits at his feet. Interestingly, all three elements of the composition are made in different styles: the figure of the poet is in “hewn”, the eagle is in classical, and the three unusual benches around it are in futuristic. The authors of the monument are sculptor Luciano Massari and architect Leonid Maly.