Vicenza and the pocket watch of the Hero of the Thousand

The pocket watch was restored to its former glory by Stefano and Matteo Soprana in a long and painstaking restoration project

Garibaldi’s pocket watch has a gold case, is of Swiss construction and is unfailingly innovative.

A precious object because at the time, people listened to the bells to find out what time it was, and watches at the time were a luxury that only a few, bourgeois and military, like General Garibaldi, could afford.

His pocket watch, which is kept in a safe at the Museum of the Risorgimento and Resistance at Villa Guiccioli above Monte Berico, has been restored by Gioielleria Soprana in a long and painstaking restoration that has practically brought it back to its former glory.

 

Mechanical restoration of Garibaldi’s pocket watch

As you can see, the watch has been perfectly disassembled, cleaned and refurbished, piece by piece. This intervention on the watch cost about 50 hours of work. All the steels were sandblasted to remove oxides. We also rebuilt the balance axis. Everything was put back into operation.

Garibaldi certainly wore it in his shirt pocket, close to his heart. He undoubtedly wore it on his visit to Vicenza accompanied by Mayor Gaetano Costantini, as he
descended from the loggia of the Basilica Palladiana on 7 March 1867 acclaimed by the people.

Garibaldi’s pocket watch represents much more than a simple instrument for measuring time. It is a symbol of freedom, independence and patriotism, embedded in the art and design of the time. Its legacy persists through the generations, still inspiring a sense of admiration for the past and classic aesthetics. Like a small time capsule, Garibaldi’s pocket watch reminds us of the importance of preserving and celebrating the history and culture that came before us.

Garibaldi’s watch was given ‘to his friend Cariolato’, a trusted man in all battles and even in his old age by the eldest son of the hero of two worlds.

illustration restore of Garibaldi pocket watch : download by clicking on the link the brochure with the painting depicting Garibaldi on his visit to Vicenza to support the candidature of Angelo Pilotto, a former Garibaldian