The Handshake at Teano

Many thanks for your words of encouragement on the tooth situation. A cooling draught of Tuscan Bolgheri helped and I’m taking great care to follow Roberto’s instructions. As I said to him the tooth took a while to get out but not as long as Brexit. He also works at UCH in London and has followed the sorry story with interest and incredulity.

In this blip we have the timeless and much disputed meeting of Garibaldi and Emmanuel Vittoria II, king of Sardinia Piemonte and soon to become King of Italy.

The meeting was in Teano in Calabria where VEII dissuaded Garibaldi from his more republican ambition of overthrowing Papal Rome.

A source argues the sculpture was made for Teano but the council couldn’t afford it and Fiesole acquired it in the subsequent auction. Sculpted by Orazio Calzai of the nearby Mugello district.

The biscuits were made by Peak Freans six years after Garibaldi’s triumphant visit to Newcastle. A bit like the Chorley Cake but no explanation to the link to Garibaldi other than opportunistic marketing.

My childhood teddy bear was called Garibaldi, a name that I suspect I did not choose. My dad wrote his thesis on VE II’s Prime Minister, Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour.