| Pietro Giordani
and the 1848 Risings |
Piacenza
was one of the first towns to take part in the risings
of 1848. On March 21, the bishop blessed the Tricolore
(the Italian flag), and in May the city decided overwhelmingly
- with 37,089 votes out of 37,585 - to join the kingdom
of Sardinia; for this reason Carlo Alberto bestowed
upon Piacenza the title of "Primogenita" (first
born).
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| However,
not all the local intellectuals agreed on such a sudden
political choice: one of them was Pietro Giordani (1774-1848),
great friend of Leopardi and supporter of Cattaneo. He
initially showed great enthusiasm for Pius IX's liberal
gestures, but soon withdrew into a mood of bitter resignation.
It all seemed hurried and confused to him. He believed
his lifetime preoccupation - freeing Italy from the Austrians
- had been jeopardized by the convulsions of the last
few months: "We all agree unanimously; let us forget
the pointless disputes over a very dark and uncertain
future ..." (letter to Gussalli, dated April 1848).
Pessimistic about the near future of a "poor and
badly damaged Italy", Giordani died just when the
insurrections, which had raised his hopes, came to a
dramatic end. |
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