Savoy Orders Book Club

Zoom Meetings

The True Spirit of Risorgimento

and the Royal House of Savoy

FEBRUARY 4, 11, 18 and 25

7:00 PM

Complimentary Virtual Events

Host - Dr. Jorge N. Zumaeta Bistolfi

The Italian Risorgimento, a period of profound transformation, saw the unification of a fragmented collection of states into a sovereign Italy. This struggle, driven by the dreams of patriots like Giuseppe Garibaldi, Count Camillo di Cavour, and Giuseppe Mazzini, also depended on the statecraft and institutional leadership of the House of Savoy, whose Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia orchestrated key political and diplomatic maneuvers and ultimately provided the constitutional framework and unifying crown under which the new nation could cohere in 1861.

Within that national project, this book highlights the contributions of lesser-known but equally heroic figures, such as Giovanni Antonio Poggio Guasco. A brave soldier, he fought in significant campaigns including the Crimean War and the Second War of Italian Independence, earning honors for his bravery. His most defining moment came during the Siege of Capua, where he sustained life-altering injuries but remained unbroken in spirit—an episode so emblematic of the human cost of unification that King Vittorio Emanuele II personally visited him and honored him with Italy’s highest military distinction, linking Poggio’s sacrifice directly to the monarchy’s unifying mission.

This book explores Poggio’s life and sacrifices, offering a deeper understanding of the personal costs of Italy’s unification and illustrating the indomitable patriotism that defined the Risorgimento.

Jorge N. Zumaeta Bistolfi, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Academic Planning and Accountability
Adj. Professor, College of Business, Florida International University
Fulbright Research Scholar
National Science Foundation – DITE Fellow & Postdoc Mentor

Savoy Orders Book Club

Zoom Meetings

The True Spirit of Risorgimento

and the Royal House of Savoy

FEBRUARY 4, 11, 18 and 25

7:00 PM

Complimentary Virtual Events

Host - Dr. Jorge N. Zumaeta Bistolfi

The Italian Risorgimento, a period of profound transformation, saw the unification of a fragmented collection of states into a sovereign Italy. This struggle, driven by the dreams of patriots like Giuseppe Garibaldi, Count Camillo di Cavour, and Giuseppe Mazzini, also depended on the statecraft and institutional leadership of the House of Savoy, whose Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia orchestrated key political and diplomatic maneuvers and ultimately provided the constitutional framework and unifying crown under which the new nation could cohere in 1861.

Within that national project, this book highlights the contributions of lesser-known but equally heroic figures, such as Giovanni Antonio Poggio Guasco. A brave soldier, he fought in significant campaigns including the Crimean War and the Second War of Italian Independence, earning honors for his bravery. His most defining moment came during the Siege of Capua, where he sustained life-altering injuries but remained unbroken in spirit—an episode so emblematic of the human cost of unification that King Vittorio Emanuele II personally visited him and honored him with Italy’s highest military distinction, linking Poggio’s sacrifice directly to the monarchy’s unifying mission.

This book explores Poggio’s life and sacrifices, offering a deeper understanding of the personal costs of Italy’s unification and illustrating the indomitable patriotism that defined the Risorgimento.

Jorge N. Zumaeta Bistolfi, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Academic Planning and Accountability
Adj. Professor, College of Business, Florida International University
Fulbright Research Scholar
National Science Foundation – DITE Fellow & Postdoc Mentor