Garibaldi is the most extraordinary military figure of the 19th century. He fought on 3 continents, was offered command of the Union Army by Lincoln (declined), and unified southern Italy in 6 months with a tiny volunteer force.
Plan a history trip →May 5: 1,089 volunteers (the Mille) sail from Quarto (Genova) in two ships. May 11: land at Marsala, Sicily. May 15: defeat 3,000 Bourbon troops at Calatafimi with 800 men. May 27: take Palermo (100,000 Bourbon soldiers in Sicily fail to stop 1,000 volunteers). September 7: Garibaldi enters Naples as the Bourbon king flees. October 26: meets Vittorio Emanuele II near Teano, hands over the south: "I obey." The most consequential handshake in Italian history.
Caprera (Sardinia): his home and tomb (€7). A small island where he farmed after unification. Quarto, Genova: departure monument. Rome, Gianicolo: his defense of the Roman Republic (1849). Equestrian statue, cannons fired at noon daily. Marsala (Sicily): Porta Garibaldi (where he entered). Teano: monument at the meeting point.