untitled design (1)

Learn Italian online

The English Woman who Helped Unite Italy

Jessie White's house in Lendinara (Rovigo).

A lovely story appeared on the 22 May edition of the Guardian.co.uk web site. Apparently, an English woman, called Jessie White, was instrumental helping Italy become a united nation 150 years ago.

Jessie White, who was a journalist and a nurse, chronicled Garibaldi’s unification attempts and told the world about all that was going on, at the same time she kept the unification movement leaders from squabbling (Italy has not changed a huge amount in this respect in the last 150 years – its leaders are always arguing even now!) and was at Garibaldi’s bedside when he was injured.

Now Italians are calling for streets to be named after the English lady from Gosport in Hampshire.

Jessie White's house in Lendinara (Rovigo).
Jessie White's house in Lendinara (Rovigo).

Her other claim to fame, aside from calming down bickering Italians and helping unite Italy, is that she may well have been the first female English journalist. Oh, and she also wrote Garibaldi’s biography. She was quite a woman was Jessie White!

think in italian logo dark bg 1

Stop reading, start speaking

Stop translating in your head and start speaking Italian for real with the only audio course that prompt you to speak.

I’ve long suspected that the only way to bring about positive change in Italy is for non-Italians to be involved, and the tale of Jessie White seems to indicate that this has more or less always been the case, hints he mischievously.

Sadly, Jessie White died in poverty.

The Guardian Article is here: Englishwoman is hailed as a heroine of Italy’s unification struggle

Read more about Jessie White Mario on Wikipedia.

Photograph of Jessie White’s house by Threecharlie

Most Popular

My feet

I think it may be true to say that my feet have quite a lot in common with Italy’s current bunch of politicos.

Draquila Feuds

Sabina Guzzanti, an Italian comedian and political satirist, is behind the documentary film Draquila – L’Italia Che Trema – Italy Trembles. At the Cannes fringe, Guzzanti’s film received a standing ovation.

Categories

Related Posts

Parental Approval

My folks dropped in here the other day, said that they enjoyed reading my blog, and that they like the journalistic style of the post

Via Prina, Milan

An example of my digital photography using a wide angle 12-24 mm lens on my Canon digital slr.

Which version do you prefer?

This: Stop reading, start speaking Stop translating in your head and start speaking Italian for real with the only audio course that prompt you to