Italian unification leader Garibaldi to be exhumed
His wishes were to be cremated, says great-granddaughter
26 July, 17:47
(ANSA) - Rome, July 26 - Descendants of Italian hero
Giuseppe Garibaldi, a top military leader in the 19th-century
unification movement, have agreed to have his remains exhumed,
said his great-granddaughter Anita Garibaldi on Thursday.
"In September, we will open his tomb and see if he is
really inside," she said at a press conference announcing the
decision together with the president of the National Committee
for Cultural Appreciation, Silvano Vinceti.Vincenti was also behind searches for the body of Italian artist Caravaggio and Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa model.
The decision comes after two years of lobbying other family members to agree.
Garibaldi died June 2, 1882 at the age of almost 75 and was buried on his farm on the Sardinian island of Caprera alongside his last wife and some of his children.
"His wishes were for cremation. I have read it myself in his will. Those wishes were not respected," said the great-grandaughter.
"Everyone has the right to look after the remains of their ancestors," she said.
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