Description of the attraction
The Risorgimento Museum was opened in 2005 on the upper floors of Grande Miglio, part of the castle of Brescia, built in the late 16th century and once serving as a granary for the Venetian garrison.
The exposition of the museum is organized in accordance with a modern interpretation of the historical events of the Risorgimento period - the movement for the unification of Italy in the middle of the 19th century. Here you can see a wide variety of exhibits from various museum collections, including portraits, memorabilia, official announcements and prints documenting the legendary deeds and patriotic messages that led to the creation of a united Italian nation. With the help of all this, the museum acquaints visitors with the main events of the Risorgimento - household items and everyday language of those years, together with documents, help to understand the significance of historical transformations.
Particular attention is paid to the local historical events that led to the formation of the Republic of Brescia in 1797, and the famous ten-day uprising "Dieci Jornate", as well as the role of the Brescians in the war of independence.
Some of the museum's collections were used to create a themed route dedicated to the Battle of San Martino and Solferino, known as the "Grande Battaglia" - The Great Battle. This route allows you to travel back in time, deep into Italian history, and find yourself in 1859: the exhibition presents the events of the Second War of Independence and its main participants - from Napoleon III to Cavour and from Vittorio Emanuele II to Garibaldi. Particular attention is paid to one of the main battles of the Risorgimento - the battle of San Martino and Solferino, which led to the defeat of Austria and the transfer of Lombardy to the rule of the Sardinian kingdom.
In the museum, you can see a variety of artifacts - geographic maps showing troop movements, flags, prints, paintings, sculptures, etc., as well as obituaries to the memory of the fallen, propaganda documents, illustrations and physical evidence of how complex and the bloody conditions created the history of Italy.
The exposition of the museum also draws attention to the city of Brescia itself, which at that time was turned into a huge hospital, and in which patriotic fever was mixed with simple human mercy. It was as a result of the bloody battle of San Martino and Solferino that the idea of creating the International Red Cross was born - its founder was Henry Dunant, a participant in the battle.
