On Saturday 21 September the town of Viareggio celebrated Percy Bysshe Shelley by unveiling a plaque dedicated to Veturio Paolini, the man who saved the Shelley bronze bust from Nazi destruction during the Second World War. The Shelley monument in Viareggio, which was made by Urbano Lucchesi, was the first non-British public sculpture dedicated to the poet, whose corpse was found nearby the Viareggio beach about ten days after he had drowned off the coast of Leghorn while sailing back to Lerici.

The Keats-Shelley House Director Giuseppe Albano, who attended the ceremony and delivered a speech about Percy and Mary Shelley, would like to thank Mr Piernello Martelli, Ms Cristina Chiantelli and all the other people who organized what turned out to be a remarkable event.

The Veturio Paolini plaque.

The Shelley monument at Viareggio.

Director Giuseppe Albano during the conference.