To See and Be Seen

It was about 4 PM when everyone began to appear to stroll along via Garibaldi.

This street preserves its original design of 1775 when architect Gian Giacomo Plantery decided to create a street departing from Juvarra’s facade of Palazzo Madama in the direction of Porta Susina. At that time – the man who unified Italy was yet to be born – the street was called via Dora Grossa.

Born in Nice to Ligurian parents in 1807, Garibaldi played a fundamental role in the history of Turin in that he was largely responsible for the Unification of Italy. As a young man, he participated in Mazzini’s Giovina Italia and enlisted in the Sardinian navy. He was sentenced to death in 1834 for treason and thus was forced to flee to Rio de Janeiro in 1836. In South America Garibaldi joined the Republican rebels, and he married Anita in 1842 in Montevideo. He returned to Italy in 1848 and offered to fight the Austrians on behalf of the king. Garibaldi was elected a member of parliament, but as a man of action he preferred to work on the battlefield. He therefore organized a legion and went to Rome to support the temporary government set up there, although as general of the troops of the city, he was sent fleeing by the French. After years of exile traveling the world, in 1859 Garlibaldi was appointed general of the “Cacciatori delle alpi” (Hunters of the Alps) by Vittorio Emanuele II. He thus fought in the second war of independence. On March 5 Garibaldi left from Quarto, Sicily, with the famous “spedizione dei Mille”, the 1,000 freedom-fighting soldiers. On November 7 in Teano (Piedmont), this great fighter handed Naples over to Vittorio Emanuele II. In 1864 Garibaldi moved to London, and later, when he returned to Italy, he continued to fight in Trentino against the Austrians. He died in Caprera in 1882.

In 1978 via Garibaldi was made a pedestrian area, and the over 1 KM of street are today a favorite shopping destination for the Turinese (who tend to crowd them especially on Saturday afternoons). Via Garibaldi intersects the Municipio, via della Consolata (which leads to the chiesa della Consolata), the chiesa dei Santi Martiri and the chiesa della Misericordia, the Ancient Cloisters, and numerous other places of interest.

We walked over 1 KM along via Roma to return to the train station and the taxi stand to get back to our hotel. The taxi driver had someone in the passenger seat. Turns out the driver's girlfriend broke up with him, and her boyfriend also broke up with her, so they are cheering each other up. It was nice to try to talk to a local!