the last week of April, the Vicar Grand Ducal still in office in Marradi, Florence wrote a bit 'worried
"... until the evening of April 25 the inhabitants of this land began the tricolor cockade ... This morning, two villagers, without being authorized, have raised two arms (arms = ) Grand Ducal, but disapproval of most people who love you should proceed to their removal, but legal ways, because the two individuals have given up. "
These hints of revolt soon assumed even anti-clerical tone and the historic Charles Mazzotti learn that a number of people screaming in front of the monastery which is at the center of the country: "Down with the nuns ... fura el mong." In May of that year they had the fear of being hunted by popular acclaim, but their confessor, Father Joseph Mughini managed to calm the most rowdy and this did not happen.
And the Lords of the country what they did in the spring of 1859? There were skeptics, because in 1848 the Grand Duke had fled but later returned when the Austrians had won. But there were those who sided "For the new", ie for the Savoy. Among these we can remember Evaristo Plans, a man who in 1848 was head of the Civic Guard was anti-Austrian and then fled. The wealthy family was Agnolozzi libertarian spirit is related to Gaspare Finali, the patriot Romagna marradese Foster, whom we named a street. The spirit of renaissance peaked between friends Celestine Smith, the editor of the newspaper The Nation, founded July 19, 1859, born in Marradi, a member of the Provisional Government. Among liberals, there was also some of the inevitable Fabroni, especially Gian Gastone, a friend of Celestino Bianchi. As early as 1848 a number of marradesi left for combattere gli Austriaci. I volontari delle patrie battaglie furono:
1859 Angelo Betti, Lorenzo Catani, Andrea Consolini.
1859 – 1860 Nestero Fabroni, Umberto Fabroni,
Domenico Lama, Desiderio Moretti, Fortunato Mercatali,
Giovanni Neri, Agostino Rossi, Francesco Ravagli, Alessandro Solaini
1860 Antonio Moretti, Lorenzo Alpigini, Francesco Ciani,
Ferdinando Monti, Antonio Monti, Michele Mariani, Pietro Mercatali.
1859 –1861 Maggiore Antonio Agnolozzi, Sebastiano Fabroni,
Paul Meucci, Angelo Gurioli.
The Town Council continued his daily work as if the war did not exist. This was because the performance of feats of arms was quick and the civilian population was not involved. In the deeds of the historical archive of Marradi states that June 27, 1859 is the latest work to procure the coverage of the Rio Salto, who until two years before the day flowed through the village and decided to expand the cemetery, according to this plan.
Plan of the cemetery in 1859: particle 5,
municipal cemetery, 6 particles, areas that will then
built the cemetery of Mercy (the late nineteenth century)
Below: The road to Cardeto, following the outline of 1859
was built road also Cardeto by Biforco the church to avoid the uncomfortable passage next to the river, in the midst of Fossino House.
In October 1859 it elected the new "Head of the City." We do not know what to call it exactly, because it was no longer a Gonfaloniere but was not even a mayor, as the number of mayors began in 1865 after the first real election. Even the word "election" should
understood, because the new Gonfaloniere - Mayor was voted, by lot or, within the old Council of priors, and was obliged by law to accept. He was the notary Orlando Pescetti, a patriot in 1848, but resigned after fifteen days, with a medical certificate in which he complained arthritis. The Prefect flatly rejected his resignation because "he was making Italy" and the inconveniences of health of little interest. We can not even believe him at all, because after a few months Pescetti you ran for the first parliament of the Kingdom of Italy, where he was elected because the votes were almost all in Celestino Bianchi. After Pescetti touched, in turn, with several other priors.
In autumn came a series of new laws. A decree of September 29, 1859 in Tuscany, introduced the metric system. Until then, the lengths were measured in the Florentine arms (0.58 m) and the plans were at 1:1250 scale, like the one above. He adopted the Italian lira instead of the forint. On 28 November 1859 with the Organic Law of Posts and began to weigh the parcel in grams rather than pounds. In the new stamps was taken from the "Marzocco" and began the arms of Savoy. In the midst of all these changes will also have the confusion, but not much. From the documents we understand that our ancestors were wiser than we were the ones in 2002 when it passed from the lira to the euro. In the local dialect has long been some memory of the old measures. For example, in Marradi, until there was the lira, the currency to "five hundred" was from "Zent Scud" because a grand-ducal shield was worth five pounds, and even today you can hear someone asking the baker "and a half de Mez" using the measure in quarter-pound, if you want a loaf of bread to half a pound.
All this flurry of events were realized with a plebiscite for the Unification of Italy, in Tuscany and Emilia was held on 11 and 12 March 1860. When asked: "Do you want the annexation to the constitutional monarchy King Vittorio Emanuele, or separate kingdom? "i responded so marradesi: 1482 in favor and 95 against. Women did not vote, as a rule in the nineteenth century. It was a great celebration and the report of the Vicar of Marradi learn that:
" The March 18, 1860, there was the solemn Te Deum for the results of the plebiscite, for the union of central constitutional monarchy of King Vittorio Emanuele. fireworks were also set on fire. The party was continued until 10 o'clock at night and were made unanimous cheers to the King, Emperor Napoleon III, Cavour and the Ministry of Toscano. "
Bibliography 1) of the Historical Documents of Marradi. 2) Report of the Vicar, by G. Matulli, The Way of wheat and salt. 3) Charles Mazzotti of the Dominican Monastery of Marradi