Piazza Virgiliana is one of Mantua's main green areas. It was built in the early 19th century, during the Napoleonic period, when the Mantua fortress was commanded by the French general Alexandre Miollis. A great admirer of classical culture, Miollis developed a deep appreciation for Virgil on arriving in Mantua and promoted several initiatives to honour the poet. Back then, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s notion that public festivities should take place outdoors, open to all, was widely shared. It was decided to redevelop the Argine district, an area that once housed the old port and had been largely filled in. Work began in 1797 with the demolition of disused buildings and preparation of the ground for new trees and shrubs. During the Virgilian celebrations of March 1801, a bust of Virgil was unveiled at the centre of the square, placed on a column atop a large pedestal. Once landscaping was completed, Piazza Virgiliana assumed its first layout. Soon after, the bust was removed to make room for an amphitheatre, which quickly became a popular meeting place and a symbol of the city’s social life. Following the First World War, a new monument to Virgil was commissioned. Designed by architect Luca Beltrami and inaugurated in 1927, it featured a large bronze statue by Emilio Quadrelli, showing the poet facing the city. On either side, two marble groups represented Heroic and Pastoral Poetry. On that occasion, the Turin architect Giuseppe Roda redesigned the square and transformed it into an elegant garden. Second World War bombings severely damaged the vegetation, but in the 1950s the square was restored, giving it the appearance that can still be admired today.