Giuseppe Garibaldi
Hero of the Italian Risorgimento, he was born in Nice in 1807, the son of Domenico Garibaldi, sea captain, and Rosa Raimondi from Loano. At age 15, he followed in his father's footsteps, sailing as a cabin-boy and becoming a captain in 1832. During his sea voyages, he met G.Mazzini in 1833 at Marseilles and entered, Giovine Italia, a secret society whose members wanted a republican Italy without royal rule. In 1834, he enlisted in the Sardinian Navy and was ordered to raise a revolt at Genova, at the same time of the Mazzini's revolts in Savoia, occupying the frigate, Des Geneys, on which he was serving; but the revolt failed and he hid in Marseilles, knowing he had been condemned to death for treason.

So Garibaldi left for South America where, in 1836, he supported the rebels of Rio Grande do Sul against the government of Don Pedro II, attacking Brasilian ships along the coasts and rivers of Brasil. After several battle actions, the republican hopes failed and Garibaldi left the region to go to Montevideo, in 1841. Here he met, Anita, who married him in 1842 and had three sons. In Uruguay, he also fought against Argentina, commanding the fleet and creating an Italian legion wearing the famous red shirts. He distinguished himself in the battles of Cerro, Salto and of the San Antonio River in 1847, and was then made a general and commander of the defence of Montevideo.

In june 1848, he returned to Italy, where the troops of Carlo Alberto of Savoy had already fought against the Austrians. He led battalions of volunteers and defeated the Austrians at Luino, occupying Varese, but attacked by greater forces, he was obliged to flee to Switzerland. After the Salasco armistice, he returned to Genova where he was elected a member of Parliament, but he refused the honour, preferring to go to Rome to support of Roman Republic. Here in 1849, he defeated the French troops at Porta S.Pancrazio and the Neapolitans at Palestrina. But the French got the better of the Garibaldi volunteers at Gianicolo, and on 2 July, he was obliged to leave, pursued by the enemy; when he reached S.Marino, he ordered his soldiers to lay down their arms and fled with fewer men towards Cesenatico; here he took a fishing boat and was able to escape the Austrians, landing at Magnavacca (today Porto Garibaldi), on his way to the farmstead of Guiccioli, where Anita, pregnant and exhausted but always at his side, died in his arms. He left for and reached Portovenere (near La Spezia), pursued vainly by Austrian and Papal troops. The government of the Kingdom of Savoy, to avoid political complications, asked him to go away, and so Garibaldi embarked for Tangiers, then for New York, where he worked in a candle factory; he then went to Mid America, to China and to England. In 1854, he returned to Nice and in 1857 bought land on Caprera Island, where he devoted himself to agriculture. But it doesn't stop here! Indeed, in 1859, King Victor Emanuel II of Savoy made him General of his army in command of Alpine Riflemen; during the second war of independence, he defeated the Austrians at S.Fermo occupying Varese and Como, fought at Magenta entering Bergamo, Brescia and Valtellina. After the Villafranca armistice, he left the army and retired in Genova.

The insurrection at Palermo on 4 april 1860 against the Bourbons induced him to organize the expedition of The Thousand; so he left from Quarto on board of two steamships, the Piemonte and the Lombardo, with about thousand men wearing red shirts, and was provided with arms at Talamone; they landed on 11 May at Marsala under fire by the Neapolitan corvette, Stromboli, which was not able to stop him; he won at Calatafimi on 15 May and conquered Palermo; in the meantime his army was reinforced by thousands of volunteers; Milazzo, Messina, Siracusa and Augusta fell. Sicily liberated, Garibaldi crossed the straits of Messina on 19 August landing at Reggio Calabria, and advancing rapidly on Naples, he was helped also by popular revolts against the Bourbons. After the defeat of the Bourbon troops in the battle of Volturno, he me King V.Emanuel II at Teano on 7 November and granted the freed Southern Italy to Savoy. Garibaldi refused ranks and medals because of a dissent with Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour who had not allowed him to march towards Rome. He retired again to Caprera. But in 1862, during a trip to Sicily, he was acclaimed by large popular demonstrations favouring the liberation of Rome and so, commander of another army of volunteers, he left from Catania on 24 August and landed at Mileto in Calabria to go to north. But the moment was not propitious and the King was forced to stop him, sending the royal troops of Colonel Pallavicini who on 29 August clashed with the Garibaldi volunteers at Aspromonte during which Garibaldi was injured in the right foot. He was arrested and imprisoned in the fort of Varignano at La Spezia; but two months later, he was freed. In 1866, during the third war of independence, he was still marching against the Austrians who were defeated at Bezzecca; then during the march to Trento, the news of an armistice reached him with the King's order to leave the area; Garibaldi gave his now famous reply:"Obbedisco" (I obey). Finally in 1870, Rome was liberated after the battle of Porta Pia, but Garibaldi was in France to fight against the Prussians in defense of Dijon. After the defeat of the French, he returned to Italy, dedicated to politics and afterwards retired in Caprera. Here he died on 2 June 1882 and was buried in view of the sea he always loved. From that day, a guard of honour from the Italian armed forces has always stood by the grave.

Could you find a man with a life so adventurous?

Special thanks to Macrif for translation
vendita telescopi astronomia
impression sur DVD