150th Anniversary of the Unification of Italy

16 March 2011

Tomorrow Italy will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the unification of the country and to mark the occasion, the 17th March 2011 has been declared a national holiday in Italy. Although many banks and shops will be closed in Sardinia and across Italy, tourist attractions and museums will remain open. Although most of the events will take place in Turin, Florence and Rome, there will be smaller scale celebrations across the country. The events will be known as il Risorgimento or “The Resurgence”.

National unity was declared on March 17th 1861in Turin, which became the country’s first capital. Prior to this Italy was divided into several states, some ruled by foreign powers until Nationalists led by the Kingdom of Sardinia, Piedmont’s ruling House of Savoy and Prime Minister Camillo Benso di Cavour fought for a united country. Many of the campaigns were led by hero Giuseppe Garibaldi, who retired to the island of Caprera in La Maddalena archipelago off Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda. Today the island is a tourist destination with a museum dedicated to Giuseppe Garibaldi, which is currently being revamped.