Top of the World
The mausoleum, a small temple in neoclassical style, was completed in 1831, adorned with statues and reliefs. On either side of the entrance gate there are two statues by Luigi Argenti representing Science and Religion, and on the architrave the inscription "To Alessandro Volta - The Widow and Sons". On the back wall, one can see the sarcophagus made of marble by the sculptor Bayer, surmounted by a bust sculpted by Giovan Battista Comolli, a valuable artist. Flanking the bust are two winged geniuses, one of whom is in the act of crowning Volta. In the panel above, there is a relief depicting the most celebrated episode in Volta's life: the presentation of the battery to Napoleon Bonaparte in Paris in 1801.
