March 17th – 150 Unita’ d’ Italia - 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy 1861 - 2011

 

                     

We have a Bank holiday here in Italy today as March 17th has been declared a national holiday in honour of the 150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy 1861 –2011.

Our local supermarket gave all their customers this small poster of explanation which I have used for the photographs.  It was only formally agreed a few weeks ago that today would be declared a national holiday as some of Italy's politicians are not in favour, not a surprise!  As there are celebrations taking place all over Italy during this 150th year, not just today, I thought it would be a good idea to find out a little bit more.

The poster from the supermarket was a good place to start for a brief history and there is also a lot of information on Wikipedia to which I have included some links. The article on the Italian Unification for one, the rest the Wikipedia pages for the various individuals.

From the poster I learnt that there were five gentleman that were all partially responsible for leading their fellow countrymen towards the unification of Italy in 1861. They were Giuseppe Mazzini, Camillo Benso Conte Di Cavour, Godfredo Mameli, Giuseppe Garibaldi and Vittorio Emanuele.

     

Giuseppe Mazzini                        Camillo Benso Conte Di Cavour        Godfredo Mameli

                     

                       Giuseppe Garibaldi                         Vittorio Emanuele.

 

Firstly in 1831 Giuseppe Mazzini  went to Marseille where he became a popular figure amongst other Italian exiles and organised a new political society called La giovine Italia, Young Italy a secret society that was formed to promote Italian unification of the several states ad kingdoms of the peninsular into a single republic. The motto of the group was ‘God and the People’   

In 1847 Camillo Benso Conte Di Cavour or Cavour as he was more normally known founded Il Risorgimento the political newspaper. He was also the founder of the original  Italian Liberal Party . He was the first Prime minister of the new Italy but he died after only three months in office in June 1861.

Two years later in 1849 Godfredo Mameli died just two months before his twenty second birthday, at the age of twenty he wrote the lyrics to the current Italian national anthem, which I have included at the end of this post.

Then in 1860 Giuseppe Garibaldi led a military campaign often referred to as Expedition of the Thousand when his volunteer army defeated the two kingdoms of Sicily, annexing them to the kingdom of Sardinia. This was seen as an important step towards the eventual unification of Italy.

Finally in 1861 on March 17th Vittorio Emanuele already the reigning King of Sardinia since March 1949, assumed the title of King of Italy therefore becoming the first King of a united Italy. He remained King until his death in 1878 and the Italians gave him the title of Father of the Fatherland – Padre della Patria.

If you have ever visited Italy you will probably have noticed these names before as in their honour every town seems to have a Via Mazzini, Piazza Cavour, Corso Garibaldi and a Via Vittorio Emanuele or similar.

It is also interesting to note that at the time of unification only 2.5% of the total population spoke Italian in reality the dialect that was from central Italy that went on to become the Italian language spoken today. The rest of the country spoke a multitude of dialects, it was not until the 1920’s that the fascist government introduced a school curriculum that taught Italian language and history in the schools.

The celebrations started last night in Roma with a Notte Bianca except this time it was a ‘Notte Bianca, Rossa e Verde’ with shops and museums staying open, with tricolour fireworks to be released around 7am as the Italian flag was raised in cities all over the country in salute to the nation.

Italian National Anthem  (the full original version)

Italian lyrics from the Poster                                                                                

             Fratelli d'Italia,                              

             L'Italia s'è desta,                                                                                                         

             Dell'elmo di Scipio

             S'è cinta la testa.

             Dov'è la Vittoria?

             Le porga la chioma,

             Ché schiava di Roma

             Iddio la creò.

             Stringiamci a coorte,

             siam pronti alla morte.

             L'Italia chiamò.

             Noi siamo da secoli

             Calpesti, derisi,

             Perché non siam popolo,

             Perché siam divisi.

             Raccolgaci un'unica

             Banderia, una speme

             Di fonderci insieme

             Gia l’ora suono

                           CORO

Uniamoci, amiamoci,

l'unione e l'amore

Rivelano ai Popoli

Le vie del Signore.

Giuriamo far libero

il suolo natio:

Uniti, per Dio,

Chi vincer ci può?

CORO

Dall'Alpi a Sicilia

Dovunque è Legnano,

Ogn'uom di Ferruccio

Ha il core, ha la mano,

I bimbi d'Italia

Si chiaman Balilla,

Il suon d'ogni squilla

I Vespri suonò.

CORO

Son giunchi che piegano

Le spade vendute:

Già l'Aquila d'Austria

Le penne ha perdute.

Il sangue d'Italia,

Il sangue Polacco,

Bevé, col cosacco,

Ma il cor le bruciò.

CORO

 

               English translation from Wikipedia

                           Brothers of Italy,

                           Italy has awoken,

                           with Scipio's helmet

                           binding her head.

                           Where is Victory?

                           Let her bow down,

                           For God has made her Rome’s slave.

                                                    CHORUS

Let us join in a cohort,

We are ready to die.

We are ready to die,

Italy has called.

Let us join in a cohort,

We are ready to die.

We are ready to die,

Italy has called!

We were for centuries

Downtrodden and derided,

because we are not one people,

because we are divided.

Let one flag, one hope

gather us all.

The hour has struck

for us to join together.

CHORUS

Let us unite and love one another,

Union and love

Show the people

The way of the Lord.

Let us swear to free

Our native soil;

United under God,

Who can defeat us?

CHORUS

From the Alps to Sicily,

Legnano is everywhere;

Every man has the heart

and hand of Ferruccio

The children of Italy

Are all called Balilla;

Every trumpet blast

sounds the Vespers.

CHORUS

Mercenary swords,

they're feeble reeds.

The Austrian eagle

Has already lost its plumes.

The blood of Italy

and the Polish blood

It drank, along with the Cossack,

But it burned its heart.

CHORUS

FRATELLI D'ITALIA - National Anthem of Italy (complete)

pandemonio81

I have just watched on television the Official Opening Ceremony of events at the Complesso di Vittoriano, Piazza di Venezia, Roma, including a tri-colour flypast, followed by another ceremony at The Pantheon in honour of the first King of Italy. There will be other ceremonies and speeches throughout the day and all Museums, Ministries and Public Institutions will be open to the public. Festivities will close for the day with firework displays in the piazzas of Rome this evening. 

 

 

Today then let all of us who love Italy join in the celebration.

Viva l’Italia!  Long Live Italy