In May 1860 Giuseppe Garibaldi landed in Sicily with about 1,000 patriotic Italians. From there the general marched north, gathering thousands more. Together they united most of the Italian Peninsula previously fragmented and dominated by foreign powers. This political Risorgimento (resurgence) would be completed in 1871 following the conquest of Rome and would produce a new, united country: Italy. Garibaldi’s triumph in the face of adversity and his inspirational personality marked him out as a figure of rare vision. To visit Italy today is to encounter him everywhere: on Piazza Garibaldi, Corso Garibaldi or Via Garibaldi in villages, towns and cities across the country.
What is less well known is that in 1849 he had led a similar march that had greatly informed the 1860 campaign. This earlier march ended in abject but noble failure.
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