Museo Civico Garibaldino e Risorgimentale

Museo Civico Garibaldino e Risorgimentale is housed in the historic Villa Spinola (now known as Villa Garibaldi) in the Quarto district of Genova, the very building where Giuseppe Garibaldi and his commanders spent the night before the departure of the famous Expedition of the Thousand in May 1860. The 17th-century villa was lent to Garibaldi by his friend and fellow veteran Candido Augusto Vecchi, and its frescoed rooms served as the operational headquarters for planning the expedition. Today the museum occupies two of those original rooms, preserving the atmosphere of those historic days. The collections include personal objects, uniforms, and medals belonging to Garibaldi and his companions, original letters and manuscripts documenting the organisation of the campaign, and period weapons including rifles and swords. The museum is managed by the Associazione Nazionale Combattenti e Reduci, which maintains the site as a memorial to the Risorgimento.