Stadio dei Marmi (3) and the nude male bronze sculptures

Although the majority of male statues in the Foro Italico, or Stadio dei Marmi actually, are in marble, there are also a few male athletes statues in bronze. On the Western side of the Stadio dei Marmi, we can observe two couples of nude male athletes wresling. The sculptor is Aroldo Bellini, who also executed several of the marble statues.

Aroldo Bellini was born in Perugia in 1901, had his training at the Academy of Fine Arts, and went to Rome in 1932, where he executed most of his sculptures for the Stadio dei Marmi. He was part of the project to create a gigantic monument for Mussolini, the Duce, which was planned to be taller than the Statue of Liberty in New York. But he only achieved a foot, and the head, before the fall of the Mussolini's regime.

And two other single athletes have been represented in bronze, including one archer. The sculptor is unknown.

Stadio dei Marmi, superb collection of male athletes sculptures (1)

If you want to admire nice male Olympic athletes sculptures, we suggest you travel to Rome (Italy) where is probably the largest outdoor collection of double-than-life-size (12 feet) white marble sculptures, most of them naked or with just some accessories. Just go to their Stadio dei Marmi (Marbles' stadium), in the North of the city.

White marble sculpture detail - photo by Petr Svarc

White marble sculpture detail - photo by Petr Svarc

 

It is located in the 'Foro Italico', a large sport complex which includes a running track, a soccer field, the Sports stadium, and an Olympic stadium, all designed in the 1920s by Enrico Del Debbio, and built during Mussolini's fascist period in Italy.

 

 

It is a beautiful location on the banks of the Tiber river, surrounded by the nice hill of Monte Mario. Some bronze fig leaves have been added to cover the athletes' nudity.

Next to it was the Academy of Physical Education, which today is the seat of the Italian Olympic Committee. We will see in another post some mosaics from that Academy building.

Handball player - Sculpture by Bernardo Morescalchi - 1931 - photo by Petr Svarc

 

Archer - Sculpture by Bernardo Morescalchi (1895-1975) - 1932

 

It took 8 years to be achieved. Each sculpture was offered by a province of Italy. The stadium was inaugurated in 1932.

 

Ancient Warrior - sculpture made by Aroldo Bellini (1902-1984)  - 1932

 

More recently, it hosted some of the field hockey preliminaries for the 1960 Summer Olympics, and the Stadio dei Marmi was also the host for the 2009 World Aquatics Championship's opening ceremony.

 

Hercules - Sculpture made by Silvio Canevari (1893-1932) - 1931