Expatriates of the Risorgimento

Their testimonies can be found in Area 08, Italians on the Move. 

The path to national unification was long and difficult. The peninsula, in the first half of the 19th century, was divided into several states, as can be seen on maps.

The wars of independence had varying outcomes. Often after the failure of the independence uprisings, the protagonists and sympathisers for the cause of Unity were imprisoned, tried and sentenced to very severe punishments, including the death penalty. Many chose, voluntarily or forced by the authorities, to leave Italy. Most of the expatriates of the Risorgimento headed for the South American countries.