It was built following a speech delivered by
Giuseppe Garibaldi on June 16, 1862, during his visit to Legnano at the invitation of Mayor Andrea Bossi. In this speech, the Hero of Two Worlds urged the people of Legnano to erect a monument to commemorate the battle of May 29, 1176, where the communes of the
Lombard League defeated Frederick Barbarossa's imperial army. The creation of the sculpture was difficult, however, as the people of
Milan requested to build the monument in their city, which was later denied. Because of the delay, only the base was built for May 24, 1876, the day scheduled for the inauguration. In order not to further delay the celebration, the statue was made of
papier-mâché and
plaster, materials that did not allow the sculpture to withstand the weather. The first monument to the Warrior of Legnano melted at the first atmospheric precipitation and was replaced in 1900 by the current one, which is by Enrico Butti, then a professor at the
Brera Academy. Butti, who was commissioned in 1895, first showed the model of the work to the public at the 1897
Milan Triennial. The second statue dedicated to the Warrior of Legnano was unveiled on June 29, 1900. The festivities, which lasted for three days, from June 29 to July 1, included several side events, including an official reception, a tourist convention, the inauguration ceremony of the new firing range, a charity stand, a fencing tournament, bicycle and running races, and fireworks in Piazza San Magno, then called Piazza Maggiore. A commemorative medal was also minted and a musical composition was written, melody by Beniamino Proverbio and lyrics by Luigi Mensi, recalling the famous battle. == Construction ==