palazzo mordini – barganews.com v 3.0

palazzo mordini

Facing the same square is the palazzo which belonged to the Mordini family.

The Mordini were important landowners in the past and many members of the family became famous in public life in Barga and further afield.

One of these was Antonio Mordini, the leading light of the Italian Risorgimento, whose monument, discussed previously, stands on the bastions above the Fosso.

In his palazzo there is an archive of the letters, papers and documents which Mordini collected throughout his life.

According to the distinguished historian and politician Giovanni Spadolini, this collection is, as far as he knows, the most important one for the whole period of the Risorgimento.

The catalogue of the documents in this archive is to be published soon under the auspices of the Ricci Foundation.

 

Antonio Mordini (Barga 1819 – Montecatini 1902) is certainly one of the most important celebrities in the history of Barga.
This Risorgimental figure constantly demonstrated innovative and progressive ideas, which forced him to lead a nomadic life, yet one that was rich in high-profile political experiences.

Forced to forsake Tuscany (in 1848) having opposed the government of the grand duke, he came back in 1849 to support
Guerrazzi – Mazzoni – Montanelli triumvirate as its leader, replacing the grand duke for a short period.
A new ‘exile’ drove him to Corsica, followed by Piedmont and Liguria. From here he took part in the expedition of the Mille alongside Giuseppe Garibaldi, to whom he was very close. After disembarking in Marsala, he was appointed chairman of the War Court as a colonel. Garibaldi himself presented him to the Sicilian people as deputy dictator, giving him a leading role, considering that it was Mordini who organised the plebiscite of
21 October 1860.

With the unification of Italy, he began his parliamentary career, which culminated with his appointment as senator by King Umberto I in 1896. Minister of Public Works in the government of Menabrea III (1869), he also held the office of the Prefect of Naples.

The palace of the Mordini family in the centre of Barga is now home to one of the most important Risorgimental archives in Italy, with documents relating to the intense 1830-1902 period, which was fundamental in reconstructing the events of the unification process, but also the first few years of parliamentary life of the Italian state.

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