Italy is 150 years old

Today, March 17, is a holiday to celebrate the fact that Italy is 150 years old. I wonder if many people realise that Italy has only been a unified country for such a short time. Before that it was a collection of Kindgoms and Papal States constantly feuding with each other.

Resentments still linger. Florence hates Siena, Pisa hates Lucca and so on. There is a saying in Lucca “Better a death in the family than a Pisan at the door” and I am sure Pisa has something just as charming.   We often see graffitti scrawled on centuries old buildings – “Pisa merde” or in Pisa, “Lucca merde”. Despite this, Italy is now a united country, even if not all Italians are happy about it.

In most towns you will find a Via Mazzini,  Garibaldi, Cavour or Vittorio Emanuel II. These were the men involved with the unification of Italy – Risorgimento. It was a chain of political and military events that produced a united Italian peninsula under the Kingdom of Italy in 1861.

Giuseppe Mazzini was an idealist who wanted a republican form of government. During the first half of the 19th century he was the heart and soul of  group of secret societies called the Carbonari (coal burners). He formed “Young Italy” to help spread ideas for unification.

Things began to move along when Count Camillo di Cavour became prime minister of Piedmont (Kingdom of Sardinia) in 1852. With political cunning and great bargaining he set about uniting Italy. He encouraged people to participate in government, but he did not share the view of Mazzini and Garibaldi for a republic. He wanted unity under the leadership of King Victor Emanuel II. With the help of Napoleon III of France he encouraged war between Piedmont and Austria, which controlled chunks of Italy. France would help Piedmont in exchange for Nice and Savoy. Piedmont received Lombardy from Austria as a result of the war, greatly increasing its size and influence.

Garibaldi performed his part in the south. If Cavour was the soul of unification, then Garibaldi was the hero. His Red Shirts were a great success. They occupied Sicily and then headed for the mainland. With the help of strategic manoeuvring by Cavour, encouraging riots and uprisings, 2 thirds of the Papal states joined Piedmont, leaving Rome and Veneto.  Garibaldi famously gave up command of his army and shook hands with Vittorio Emanuel II, signifying the formation of the Kindgom of Italy in 1861 with Vittorio as the first king.   Veneto was annexed in 1866 and Rome joined in October 1870 and became the capital in 1871.

This is obviously a very sketchy overview of the events that led to unification, but I’m sure if you are interested you will look for more information.

There is a plaque on the front of the Comune building in Bagni di Lucca commemorating the voting process in Tuscany in 1860.

 

It says (roughly) that on 15th March 1860 the people of Tuscany voted.  366,571 people voted for a Constitutional Monarchy, 14,925 voted against and 4,929 said nothing.

Flags have been appearing all over the place, so it seems people are happy to celebrate the occasion. I felt the need to join in and bought some flags for my balcony.

 

If you look carefully you will see a small Australian flag there as well. My neighbour Dome has a bigger flag than I do.

 

Here are a few of the flags and decorations I have spotted around the village. It has been raining and everything looks a bit drab, but we can’t do anything about the weather.

 

I love this one. I know it looks a bit like washing on the line, but it is the thought that counts.

 

This one is the same as mine, but the right way up. If you look carefully you can see the price tag on Garibaldi’s head.

 

Here is the best one of all.

 

Happy 150th Anniversary Italy! …… It is now 11.30 am and an old soldier, wearing a feathered hat has just driven his car through the village with loud speakers strapped to the top, blaring old Italian music for us to enjoy – I love it!!!

I took some more photos when the sun came out.