This poem was written by Luigi Mercantini, an Italian poet and patriot.
It was written for the soldiers led by Garibaldi for the unification of Italy with the purpose of singing this hymn during their marches and battles.
Since the first stanza it appears clear that for the future of Italy, it must be united, under a common flag, and a common language from the Alps to Sicily.
This is the antidote against the oppressors and tyrants and statelets.
After the unification the borders will be the Alps and two seas, it will be more stronger and it will be respected as in the past by the French and British.
The King of Italy and the Italians will sweep away the tyrants, finally the Italians will be a unique population and they will shout "Viva L'Italia"
Biography
Luigi Mercantini (Ripatransone - 20 September 1821 – Palermo 17 November 1872) was an Italian poet and writer, who took part in the movements for the Italian unification in the late 19th century. He is better known for his poem "La spigolatrice di Sapri", depicting the ill-fated expedition led in 1857 by Carlo Pisacane against the Kingdom of Naples, which was also translated into English by Henry W. Longfellow with the title The Gleaner of Sapri.
Mercantini is also known for writing the lyrics of the patriotic hymn Canzone Italiana, better known as the Garibaldi Hymn, since it was commissioned in 1858 by Garibaldi himself to the poet, as the official battle song of his "Cacciatori delle Alpi" volunteer corps who joined in the Second Italian War of Independence the following year. The hymn's music was composed by his musician friend Alessio Olivieri, and proved hugely popular among Italians at home and abroad, famously being recorded by Enrico Caruso around the outbreak of World War I and again used as battle hymn of some brigades of the Italian resistance movement during World War II.
Source: Wikipedia

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