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Retire Early
Lifestyle
Retirement; like your parents, but way cooler
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In 1991 Billy and Akaisha Kaderli retired at the age
of 38. Now, into their 4th decade of this
financially independent lifestyle, they invite you
to take advantage of their wisdom and experience. |
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Italian
Sailor Monument
(also known as Monumento al
Marinaio d'Italia)
Brindisi, Italy
Billy and Akaisha Kaderli
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Over the centuries, the
deep
seaport of Brindisi, Italy has been invaded and conquered, participated in
many wars and reaped the benefits of international trade.
During the time of
Mussolini, this Italian Sailor's monument was commissioned to pay respect to the
sailors who lost their lives in World War I.
Its unique shape,
resembling a ship's rudder, pays homage to the city's
maritime history and its
vital role as a major port of commerce.
Just a short
ferry
ride
away, we were on our way to visit.
The Sailor's Monument
This monument is 54 meters tall and was built
in 1933 in the shape of a ship's rudder.
It's a memorial to Italian sailors who lost
their lives in World War I and then
World War
II.
At the base is a chapel where the names of
over 6,000 fallen sailors are engraved.
At the very top, you can see a marble statue
of Our Lady, Star of the Sea which was added in 1954, representing protection
and guidance for sailors.
Beautiful arches as part of the monument
area
The ferry dropped us off on the other side of
these arches and it was a short walk to the monument.
This tribute to the sailors was built using
local càrparo stone, giving it a beautiful golden color.
The construction took approximately 10 years
to complete and was funded through public donations.
A different angle to view
At the very base you can see the door to the
chapel. Inside is also a bell from the battle ship “Benedetto Brin”, which sank
in the port of Brindisi in 1915.
Walkway to entrance of the monument
The entrance to the monument museum is up
these steps and to the right.
Each level of height gives another great view
of the harbor.
Locked entrance door
On this day at this particular hour, the
monument museum was closed. It was too bad, but not unusual.
We have noticed that since Covid, tourist
websites with times and schedules have not been updated and that the hours of
operation have shortened and changed.
Notice how narrow the bottom of The
Rudder Monument is.
Inside there are 260 steps to climb up a winding, circular staircase to the top
platform, which gives you a spectacular view of the harbor.
Side view of the Rudder style monument
Skilled local laborers like stonemasons and
builders worked on this monument.
On the walls inside are engraved the names of the approximately 6,000
sailors who fell in the Great War and the 33,900 sailors who fell in the last
war as a way to remember them.
A cannon from the Austro-Hungarian
submarines
In the upper square at the entrance there are
also
two anchors which are relics from Austrian-Hungary battle ships in 1918 as well two
submarine cannons of the same era.
Sign at the monument
This engraved sign explains the inauguration
of the monument as well as who the architect and sculptor were.
Our Lady, Star of the Sea is seen as the
protector of sailors.
Star representative of Our Lady, Star of
the Sea
This star is a reference to Our Lady, Star of
the Sea and is located at the base of the monument as you climb the steps to
enter.
The monument with the sun behind it
No matter which level of the structure we
climbed, the
view of
the harbor was expansive.
Since it was a cloudless day, the open
seascape was beautiful.
Walking back from the Rudder to catch the
ferry
While we didn't get inside the sailor's
tribute monument, we still enjoyed the ferry ride, the beautiful day and being
able to savor the view of the sea.
Hours are listed below so you can better time
your visit.
__________
Open daily, (closed on Thursdays), from 9:00
am to 1:00 pm and from 4:20 pm to 7:00 pm. On Mondays from 10:30 am to 5:10 pm
For more stories, photos and videos of
Italy, click
here
For more on
Retirement Topics,
click here and
here
About the Authors
Retire
Early Lifestyle appeals to a different
kind of person – the person who prizes their
independence, values their time, and who doesn’t
want to mindlessly follow the crowd.
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