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

In the history of every great person, there is a starting point, a moment that turns their life around. For Giuseppe Garibaldi, the national hero of Italy, the unifier of a fragmented country, this point was not Rome, Genoa, or South America. It was a distant Russian port city, 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, after which the sailor turned into a revolutionary, and his name entered history forever. 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, "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, and he had seen the world, but his soul had not yet known 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 agitation among sailors. One of such émigrés was Giovanni Battista Kuneo, who lived in Taganrog and actively propagated the ideas of the secret revolutionary organization "Young Italy," created by Giuseppe Mazzini, in the early 1830s.

Garibaldi and Kuneo met in one of the port taverns at the intersection of Petrovskaya Street and Kommerchesky Perulok. The passionate speeches of his compatriot literally turned the soul of the young captain 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 government. Later, in his memoirs, Garibaldi wrote: "Finally, during my journey, 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 from finding people dedicated to the liberation of our homeland!"

According to some sources, Garibaldi stayed in Taganrog for eight days — from April 8 to 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" in Taganrog. However, there are some discrepancies: Garibaldi himself indicated in his diary that he was 24 years old at that time, while in 1833 he had already turned 26. Nevertheless, it was this meeting that gave the push that changed his entire future.

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

Upon returning home, Garibaldi was admitted to the society "Young Italy" upon Kuneo's recommendation 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 became the leader of the revolutionary movement. His legendary march "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 showed not only unbridled personal bravery but also outstanding 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 about the role it played in the fate of the great Italian. In memory of the fact that the beginning of Garibaldi's path to glory is connected 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 Yu. S. Yakovenko and the architect M. V. Baranov. The monument is a pillar in the form of an unfurled flag, enclosed between two slabs. On the facade slab, there is a gypsum bas-relief toned under bronze — the profile of a young Garibaldi with a palm branch. A plaque with a quote from Friedrich Engels was attached to 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 very 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 Garibaldi's 200th anniversary, the restored monument was solemnly opened in the presence of his 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 Krestny Perulok 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, the great path of the national hero who unified Italy began.

The Painting "Garibaldi in Taganrog"

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

The original painting is located in the Museum of Risorgimento 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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