Statua del Gigante (Nettuno)

At the end of Fegina beach, the fourteen-metre figure of Neptune rises against the cliff. Sculptor Arrigo Minerbi and engineer Levacher created the Giant in 1910 for Villa Pastine, whose shell-shaped terrace the figure supported. After war damage and storms, a major restoration was completed in 2022.

Why it matters

The Gigante is an unusual early twentieth-century monument: a mythological figure made of reinforced concrete and iron, designed as part of a private villa rather than an ancient statue. It marks the Fegina shoreline and reflects the resort architecture that shaped this part of Monterosso. Its survival and restoration have made it a distinctive landmark of the village.

What to notice

Neptune leans against the cliff beside a great shell that once formed the panoramic terrace of Villa Pastine. The scale of the figure—fourteen metres tall and about 1,700 quintals—shows the ambition of the design. Weathering and damage altered its surface over time; the 2022 restoration repaired the head, face, nose, leg, foot and shell and replaced the internal iron structure.

Context and history

Minerbi, a sculptor from Ferrara, created the statue with engineer Levacher in 1910 to adorn Villa Pastine. The villa was destroyed in bombing raids in 1943, leaving the Giant without the terrace it had supported. War damage, sea storms and the 1966 flood further damaged the concrete. After an earlier restoration in the 1960s, a second major conservation campaign was completed in February 2022. The work repaired damaged features and renewed the internal iron structure, preserving the figure as a rare example of monumental reinforced-concrete sculpture on the Ligurian coast.