Giuseppe Garibaldi's Lecco Anchor - A Soldier's Odyssey

Four times, Giuseppe Garibaldi came to Lecco - a fitting place for a man who saw wars as the vicissitudes of a life spent in service of a cause. The first time was in 1848, when he and his 'Thousand' broke the shackles of the Austrian Empire. They were turned back, but Lecco became the springboard for the next great battle that won Italy's independence. The statue, a memorial by Italian sculptor Federico Confalonieri, was erected in 1884, seven years before the monument to Alessandro Manzoni - Lecco’s other great son.

The statue, a memorial, stands in the center of town, near the Teatro della Società where Garibaldi stayed during his visits. His gaze is turned to the east, symbolizing the journey that brought him here. On the statue, an anorak draped on his shoulders, the handkerchief tied around his neck, the uncovered head, the left hand in the pocket, and the right hand holding a sword - all together convey the physical and moral strength as an example of civil virtues, avoiding the emphasis given by the realism of the character in its physical and psychological characteristics.

On the pedestal, the names of the four Garibaldians who participated in the Spedizione dei Mille from Lecco territory are inscribed: the brothers Carlo and Giuseppe Torri-Tarelli from Onno, Ernesto Berthé from San Giovanni alla Castagna, and the Valsassinese Tranquillo Baruffaldi from Barzio. During the 20th century, the statue was moved and placed in front of the Teatro della Società, opposite the Albergo Croce di Malta, which hosted Garibaldi for four times as plaques on the facade of the building still recall.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons