Taken 2009
The Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II or Altare della Patria (Altar of the Nation) or “Il Vittoriano” on the Piazza Venezia in Rome, Italy features two statues of goddess Victoria riding on quadrigas. Begun 1911, completed in 1935.
A quadriga (Latin quadri-, four, and jungere, to yoke) is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast (the Roman equivalent of Greek Tethrippon). It was raced in the Olympic Games and other games. It is represented in profile as the chariot of gods and heroes on Greek vases and in bas-relief. The quadriga was adopted in ancient Roman chariot racing. Quadrigas were emblems of triumph; Victory and Fame often are depicted as the triumphant woman driving it. In classical mythology, the quadriga is the chariot of the gods; Apollo was depicted driving his quadriga across the heavens, delivering daylight and dispersing the night.
(Courtesy of Wikipedia)