Piazza Rossetti in Vasto is rich in Masonic symbols. The monument to Gabriele Rossetti, long requested by the citizens and subject to numerous attempts to raise funds through public subscriptions, particularly among Vasto’s emigrants in the United States, remained a dream for the local administration until 1924. At that time, an unspecified association proposed to the mayor of Vasto to provide the three tons of bronze required to create the monument.
Thanks to contributions from anonymous donors, who were members of a Masonic lodge, the commission to create the monument was given to one of the leading sculptors of the time, the Neapolitan Filippo Cifariello. The monument was inaugurated in 1926, in the presence of Crown Prince Umberto of Savoy.
The influence of Freemasonry in the creation of the square and its subsequent modifications becomes evident when examining the many symbols that characterize it.
Although the square had an elliptical shape due to its location on the ruins of the Roman amphitheater, the layout of the square and the arrangement of the flowerbeds take the form of a Greek cross, a symbol of the Masonic temple.
In the square, tucked away, there is also a monumental fountain. The underground water that flows and then emerges represents esoteric knowledge that suddenly becomes apparent in times of need.
The presence of the oak tree and its acorns in the stone base of the monument represent strength, power, and nobility of spirit. Another plant symbol present is the acacia branch, which symbolizes Masonic knowledge that signifies the brotherhood’s affiliation with the order. Also of initiatory significance is the presence of myosotis, or “forget-me-not,” symbolizing the brothers who fell victim to tyrannical regimes.
In the late 1970s, the square was repaved with white stone, featuring geometric designs alternating with black stone slabs. These geometric symbols, particularly the triangle and the octagon, all refer to Masonic numerology, representing perfection and purity.
In the early 2000s, at the initiative of the local Rotary Club, which contributed to the restoration and cleaning of the entire complex, a new iron gate was installed around the Rossetti monument. The gate is adorned with the main symbols of Masonic brotherhood, the square and compass, and is framed by two columns that resemble those of the Temple of Solomon.
It should come as no surprise that Piazza Rossetti is so rich in Masonic symbols.
Rossetti, a Carbonari and anticlerical, was always a point of reference for Masonic lodges. His immense literary fortune, straddling the 19th and 20th centuries, also falls within the tradition of Freemasonry, which was embraced by his main admirers, Giosuè Carducci and Giovanni Pascoli. Following this tradition, a lodge bearing Rossetti’s name was established in Vasto as early as 1914 and remains active today, with branches throughout Abruzzo and Molise.