Monumento a Carlo V

The Monumento a Carlo V stands in Piazza Bologni, Palermo, as a bronze memorial to Charles V’s visit in 1535. Scipione Li Volsi created the statue in 1630. It was erected in 1631 after Charles V’s campaign in Tunis, having originally been intended for Piazza Vigliena. Charles V wears ancient armour and a laurel crown. He holds a command staff with his left hand, while his right arm extends forward in a gesture linked to loyalty. A sword hangs visibly at Charles V’s side. The pedestal carries military trophies and decorations by Giacomo Cirasolo, Luigi Geraci, and Giovanni Travaglia. Its symbols include a double-headed eagle, the Columns of Hercules, and a seven-headed hydra. Piazza Bologni forms a rectangular historic space bordered by Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Via Giuseppe d’Alessi. Noble palaces surround the square, including Palazzo Belmonte Riso and Palazzo Alliata di Villafranca. The monument combines seventeenth-century bronze sculpture with political symbols of empire, Sicily, and religious conflict. Local stories connect the emperor’s outstretched hand with Palermo’s high living costs and piled-up rubbish.