Bar del Tasso in Bergamo was where scores of young men signed up to join Garibaldi and take part in the adventure of the Thousand; the Antica Osteria del Bai in Genoa gave hospitality to Garibaldi and Bixio for their stirrup cup before they left with the Thousand; the Antica Focacceria S. Francesco in Palermo was Garibaldi and the Thousand’s first “gourmet’s repose” after the landing at Marsala.
Simple and unique, with a historic kitchen open to view and marble and cast-iron tables, with a touch of the Liberty style added in 1902. This is the heart of Risorgimento Palermo: in 1848 Ruggero Settimo came here to celebrate his election as head of the Sicilian government, and legend has it that Garibaldi dined here in 1860 during his conquest of Palermo with the Thousand. Francesco Crispi used to come here to discuss politics. Five generations of the same family have preserved such ancient delights as "guastedde" and "pane ca meusa", "sfincione", "panelle" and potato "crocchè", baked "anelletti" and sardines "a beccafico".
One of the oldest establishments in Italy, during the Renaissance it was known as the “inn of two swords”, but in 1681 it took the name of the poet to whom Bergamo dedicated the statue next to it. At the height of the Risorgimento, it took a direct hit from an Austrian cannon, and in 1859 it was here that local volunteers signed up to become part of Garibaldi’s Thousand. Renovated in a neoclassical style, like the lovely square it looks onto in Bergamo Alta, Kokoschka, Manzù, Gavazzeni, Benedetti Michelangeli, Rod Steiger and others have stopped off here. Run by the second generation of the same family.
On his way to France to crown Napoleon in the cathedral of Notre Dame, Pope Pius VII savoured the gastronomic delights here in 1804. In 1860 Garibaldi took his stirrup cup here before embarking for Sicily with his Thousand. Up to six feet thick, the walls are those of the ancient fortress from which the Genoese sighted the Saracens. The ever-discreet elite of the Superba still meet in this elegant and traditional setting.
