Taganrog and the Memory of Giuseppe Garibaldi's Meeting with Kuneo: How a Russian Port Changed the Fate of Italy

In the history of every great person, there is a point of departure, a moment that turns their life upside down. For Giuseppe Garibaldi, the national hero of Italy, the unifier of a fragmented country, this point was not Rome, Genoa, or South America. Instead, it was the distant Russian port city of Taganrog. It was here, in one of the port taverns, that the 26-year-old captain of a trading schooner met a man who opened his eyes to the fate of his homeland. This meeting became the turning point that transformed the sailor into a revolutionary, and his name forever entered history. Today, Taganrog preserves the memory of this event — in stone, in street names, and in museum exhibits.

Spring 1833: Oranges, the Port, and a Fateful Encounter

In April 1833, a small Italian trading schooner named "Clorinda" (some sources call it "Larinda") entered the Taganrog port. Its cargo was oranges, and the ship was commanded by a young captain, Giuseppe Garibaldi, a hereditary sailor from Nice. He was 26 years old, had seen the world, but his soul still did not know his main passion — the struggle for freedom.

At that time, Italy was divided into many small states, some of which were under Austrian rule. Patriots dreaming of a united and independent country had to flee abroad. Many of them settled in port cities, where they conducted propaganda work among sailors. One such emigrant was Giovanni Battista Kuneo, who lived in Taganrog and actively propagated the ideas of the secret revolutionary organization "Young Italy," founded by Giuseppe Mazzini in the early 1830s.

It was in one of the port taverns at the intersection of Petrovskaya Street and Kommerchesky Pereulok that fate brought Garibaldi and Kuneo together. The passionate speeches of his compatriot literally turned the young captain's soul upside down. Kuneo told him about the goals of "Young Italy": the liberation from Austrian rule, the unification of the country, and the establishment of republican governance. Later, in his memoirs, Garibaldi wrote: "Finally, during my travels, I met a Ligurian youth in Taganrog who first acquainted me with the situation in our country. Of course, Columbus did not experience as much satisfaction from the discovery of America as I did when I found people devoted to the cause of liberating our Motherland!"

According to some sources, Garibaldi stayed in Taganrog for eight days — from April 8 to April 16. He lived in a hostel for destitute sailors on Nikolaevskaya Street. During this time, he not only met Kuneo but may have also joined "Young Italy" right in Taganrog. However, there are some discrepancies: in his diary, Garibaldi indicated that he was 24 years old at the time, while in 1833, he had already turned 26. Nevertheless, it was this meeting that gave the push that changed the course of his entire life.

From Taganrog to the Unification of Italy: The Beginning of a Great Journey

Upon returning home, Garibaldi, recommended by Kuneo, was accepted into the society "Young Italy" and vowed to dedicate his life to the liberation and reunification of Italy. He remained faithful to this vow until the end of his days.

Initially, he was an ordinary fighter, but soon he led the revolutionary movement. His legendary march "The Thousand" in 1860 led to the liberation of Sicily and Naples, which became a decisive stage in the creation of a single Italian state. Garibaldi not only showed boundless personal bravery but also exceptional organizational abilities as a military leader. His name resounded throughout the world, becoming a synonym for the struggle for freedom. He also fought for the independence of South American republics and helped France during the Franco-Prussian War.

Memory in Stone: The Only Monument to Garibaldi in Russia

Taganrog did not forget the role it played in the great Italian's destiny. In memory of the fact that the beginning of Garibaldi's path to glory is associated with this city, a monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi was solemnly opened on June 2, 1961, on the centennial of the liberation of Italy. This is the only monument to the Italian revolutionary in Russia.

The authors of the project were the Taganrog artist Y. S. Yakovenko and the architect M. V. Baranov. The monument is a monument in the form of a flag unfurled between two slabs. On the facade slab, there is a gypsum bas-relief toned under bronze depicting the young Garibaldi with a palm branch. A plaque with a quote from Friedrich Engels was mounted on the monument: "In Garibaldi, Italy had a hero of an ancient mold, capable of performing miracles and performing miracles."

The obelisk is located opposite the former pier (now a yacht club) — not far from the place where that same tavern once stood, where the meeting between Garibaldi and Kuneo took place. In 1990, a new bronze bas-relief by the Moscow sculptor Lev Matyushin was cast. On September 12, 2007, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of Garibaldi, the restored monument was solemnly opened in the presence of Garibaldi's great-granddaughter, Anita Garibaldi-Jalle.

Garibaldi Street and Other Testimonies

The memory of Garibaldi in Taganrog does not end with the monument. One of the port alleys bears his name. In 1964, the Second Krepastny Pereulok was renamed to Garibaldi Street. The length of the alley is 1304 meters.

Taganrog is the only Russian port mentioned in Garibaldi's memoirs. It is from here, as local historians write, that the great national hero's great journey began, uniting Italy.

The Painting "Garibaldi in Taganrog"

In 1882, the year of Garibaldi's death, the Italian painter Italo Nunzi-Nunes-Vais created the painting "Garibaldi in Taganrog." It depicts the key moment: young Garibaldi in a Taganrog tavern, inspired by the speeches of his compatriots, swears to fight for freedom and the unification of Italy.

The original painting is located in the Risorgimento Museum in Milan. However, a copy of it is stored in the Taganrog Museum-Reserve. It was created in 2008 at the request of Anita Garibaldi-Jalle, the great-granddaughter of the revolutionary. With the assistance of the "Dante Alighieri" center, the copy was transferred to Taganrog, and a solemn presentation took place in the Historical and Regional Museum. In the future, it will take its place in the permanent exhibition of the museum.

Conclusion

Taganrog, a small city on the Azov Sea, has forever inscribed its name in the history of Italian Risorgimento. It was here, far from home, in the atmosphere of a port tavern, that the spark was born that ignited the flame of the struggle for the unification of Italy. Today, the memory of this meeting lives in the obelisk near the yacht club, in Garibaldi Street, and in the museum copy of the painting, reminding us how the meeting of two Italians on Russian soil changed the course of European history.

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