In 1887, the Italian government introduced a bill to create a monument to the statesman Marco Minghetti, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy between 1863 and 1864. For the construction of the monument 100,000 lire were awarded and a commission was created by the sculptors Emilio Gallori and Ercole Rosa, the architects Basile and Manfredi and presided by the Marquis Antonio Starrabba di Rudinì. In 1888 only 20 drawings were presented, of which only two - that of Ettore Ximenes and that of Laurenti - were considered worthy of attention.
After much controversy, the Commission opted for the project of the sculptor Lio Gangeri and the architect Giacomo Misuraca and Piazza San Pantaleo was chosen for the erection of the monument.
On 24 September 1895 the statue was inaugurated in the presence of King Umberto I, Queen Margherita, the widow of Marco Minghetti, Laura Acton, and her son, Francesco Crispi and Senator Gaspare Finali.
The monument, between statue and pedestal is 11 meters high. The bronze statue was made by the Nelli Foundry in Rome. The base depicts an allegory of politics inviting the people to study science.
Marco Minghetti (18 November 1818 – 10 December 1886) was an Italian economist and statesman. He was the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Italy between 1863 and 1864.
During his premiership he inaugurated the rapprochement between Italy, Austria and Germany, and reformed the naval and military administration; and before his ouster he was able, as finance minister, to balance the State budget for the first time since 1860.
After the advent of the Left, Minghetti remained for some years in opposition, but towards 1884 joined Depretis in creating the Trasformismo ("Transformation" movement), which consisted in bringing Conservative support to Liberal cabinets. Minghetti, however, drew from it no personal advantage, and died at Rome on 10 December 1886 without having returned to power.
His writings include: I partiti politici e la ingerenza loro nella giustizia e nell' amministrazione, Della economia pubblica e delle sue attinenze con la morale e col diritto (Bologna, 1859), Des rapports de l'économie publique avec la morale et le droit, Stato e chiesa By Marco Minghetti, L'état et l'église, La convenzione di settembre: un capitolo dei miei ricordi and Scritti vari.
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