Rome captured by Piemontese troops: a capital to be
On September 20th 1870, after a cannonade of three hours had breached the Aurelian Walls at “Porta Pia”, (pohr-tah pee-ah) the famous “Breccia di Porta Pia” , the Piedmontese infantry corps of Bersaglieri entered Rome through the crack in the walls.
Rome and the region of Lazio were annexed to the Kingdom of Italy after a plebiscite on October 2.
In 1871 the capital of the Kingdom of Italy was moved to Rome.
The new unified Kingdom of Italy, created in March 1861, declared Rome the capital of the Kingdom of Italy on march 27th of that same year.
Rome, however, was still under the control of Pope Pius IX, who was determined not to hand over temporal power in the States of the Church.
A French garrison was even maintained in the city by Emperor Napoleon III in support of the Pope.
By the 1870 most of the territory that belonged to the States of the Church were under the control of the Kingdom of Italy and, when Napoleon III had to recalled his garrison from Rome due to the outbreak of Franco Prussian war, the King of Italy, Victor Emanuel II, offered a face-saving proposal that to the peaceful entry of the Italian Army into Rome, under the guise of protecting the pope.
The negative answer of Pope Pius IX lead to the capture of Rome by the Bersaglieri of General Raffaele Cadorna.
If you are travelling to Rome with your family or travelling alone, and would like to discover something that hardly is found on your guide, spend some quality time in the company of locals in a friendly environment, why not enjoy a travel experience with us: small group up to 8 people top, accompanied walking tour by locals, real Italian food experience and some insight on the authentic Italian way of life.
