The entire day was spent at the home of the Cherubini brothers. Towards evening it happened that Garibaldi eves dropped the conversation of some farm hands gathered together for supper in a nearby room. Speaking of him and the discovery of the body of Anita, unearthed and eaten by dogs!

Garibaldi, momentarily out of his mind crashed through the door of the room. Biancani rushed to stop him, prevented him from speaking and shut him in a room and calmed him down with 'merciful' lies. No less difficult was the task of explaining to the farm hands the presence of the stranger. So the dramatic event had no further developments.

Tuesday 14 August 1849

Garibaldi at Forli before crossing the Apennines

Towards evening a cabriolet arrived bearing Antonio Plazzi who, with the other patriots from Ravenna, had already confirmed their intentions for a 'trafila' in the area of Forli in order to take the fugitives over the border with the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.

At 9 p.m. they left the house in two cabriolets driven by Biancani and Plazzi and they set off towards Ghibullo, counting on the distraction of the guards due to the traditional evening festivities associated with the eve of Assumption Day.

They followed the left bank of the Fiumi Uniti which they crossed on the "cavedone", the right bank upstream, the Marabina road and the Romea Nuova road; they crossed the river at Ponte Nuovo, followed the left bank upstream and on arriving at Ponte delle Tavelle - now known as Ponte Asse - walked towards Forli on the Ravegnana road as far as Ghibullo where Pietro Orlani was on look-out duty.

Meanwhile. Savini - "Juffina" - with the intelligent help of the innkeeper of Coccolia, Ermenegildo Focaccia, organised a distraction based on copious quantities of Sangiovese and Canina wine for the gendarmes of the Coccolia station in order to keep them in the inn.

So the hike could be continued to the agreed meeting place at the cemetery of Forli, about one and a half kilometres outside the city where the group arrived after midnight. Here, with the exception of Antonio Plazzi the "saviours" turned back.

The journey was about 31 kilometres.

At the cemetery of Forli (26) - contrary to the arrangements - nobody was to be found.

Plazzi was not dismayed and, after hiding Garibaldi and Leggero in a corn field near the Capuchin church (27), went back to Forli taking advantage of the lax surveillance of the excise-men due to a fire that had broken out in the "locanda della Posta" which kept them busy and distracted.

Finally he found Carlo Capaccini who had arranged the meeting at the cemetery but being called up was not able to leave the house and was worrying over the lack of news. He had Cicognani called who together with Plazzi set off in search of a safe place for Garibaldi and Leggero.

Meanwhile news of the shooting of Cà Tiepolo had already had its effect and only Tommaso Gori, owner of a kiln in Borgo San Pietro (28), agreed to take the political refugees in "provided that it was not Garibaldi!".

Cicogna swore that it was two Lombard deserters from the Austrian army and thus was able to take Garibaldi and Leggero to Gori's house around 4.30 in the morning. Antonio Plazzi, now having completed his mission, returned to Ravenna.

This was the end of the 'trafila' in the territory of Ravenna, great in audacity, wisdom and secrecy.

What happened afterwards can be summarised briefly as follows:

Between the early hours of 15 august and the evening of 2 September, when Garibaldi set sail for Liguria, where safety was to be found, there were a lot of misunderstandings, failures and perhaps fears, but some heroes also came to the fore, some of whom had strange nicknames: Gnarata, Stanga, Periten, Masòti, Zirazza. Others were Bassetti, Ravaioli, Gualdi, Francia, Sequi and Azzarini.

Outdoing all of them was a priest by the name of Don Giovanni Verità who helped the refugees for three days and guided them through the impassable ravines of the hills between Tuscany and Romagna, thus demonstrating how unproductive and unjust it was when the locals - after telling him of the imminent arrival of Garibaldi and Leggero - looked diffidently at his cassock and with a cold stare told him almost as a threat "Vui, prit, lavora ben!..." (Hey, priest, do it right/don't mess it up!)

The self-denial of all these people triumphed over the Austrian troops who marched up the Apennines to close the passes and stop the two "bandits" from crossing the border from the papal state, over the police of the Grand Duchy spurred on, if not by hatred, then by large rewards, over the collective hostility that gave greater prominence to the nobility and heroism of those who, by saving Garibaldi, saved Italy.

Thus our fugitives passed through Castrocaro, Dovadola, Montacuto, Monte del Trebbio, Modigliana, le Filigare, Prato, Poggibonsi, Colle Val d'Elsa, Volterra, Pomarancio and San Dalmazio - where they stayed for four days as guests of Doctor Camillo Serafini and Angelo Guelfi - continuing to Scarlino through the wooded Maremma, accompanied by five fearless young men. On 2 September they reached the small Cala Martina where a boat was waiting for them with four men on board. From there Azzarini, accompanied by his father and a sailor from Capoliveri sailed into the Gulf of Sterbino with Garibaldi and Leggero bound for the Island of Elba.

Garibaldi and Leggero embarked silently. From the shore five ecstatic young men watched them slowly make off. One more good-bye and then the incredible adventure ended with a single shout from the sea and the land: Long live Italy!...

At Capo Castello Azzarini disembarked the father and the sailor, and having received a permit from the Health Officer set sail in the evening for the Gulf of La Spezia.

The following day at midday the boat came in sight of Leghorn and the following day happily reached Porto Venere where the fugitives landed.

Garibaldi was safe but not yet calm. Travelling by coach to Chiavari, the new superintendent of the province, Conte di Cosilla, found out about Garibaldi's arrival rushed over to him and asked him not to disturb the city and to for his own peace of mind, on the orders of La Marmora, Commissar in Genoa, had him transferred under carabinieri escort to Genoa where here arrived on the evening of 7 September.

La Marmora kept him under closed arrest in the Ducal Palace. The Sub-Alpine chamber protested against the arbitrary arrest and freed Garibaldi.

Don Giovanni Verità received the following telegram dated in Genoa 7 September:

"Our Lorenzo would have me inform you that the two bales of silk have arrived safely".

G.B. Grialdi