Victor Emmanuel II National Monument In Rome, Italy Editorial Image

Inside view of the Memorial of the Unknown Soldier buried in the of the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument , improperly called Altar of the Fatherland in Rome, Italy. The body of the unknown soldier was chosen on 28 October 1921 from among 11 unknown remains and buried in a state funeral on 4 November 1921. The tomb is a symbolic shrine that represents all the fallen and missing in the war. The side of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier that gives outward at the Altar of the Fatherland is always guarded by a guard of honor and two flames that burn perpetually in braziers.The guard is provided with military personnel of the various weapons of the Italian Armed Forces, which alternate every ten years. Also known as `Il Vittoriano` and about 80 meters high and 120 meters wide 260 x 390ft, it consists of a large flight of stairs leading up to a massive colonnade was built in honor of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of a unified Italy and occupies a site between the Piazza Venezia and the Capitoline Hill.