In 1860, Giuseppe Garibaldi, the man who reunited Italy and is affectionately known as the Eroe dei due mondi (Hero of the two worlds), stopped in Talamone.

Legends say he was only there to collect food and supplies before continuing his journey north to drive out the terrible foreign invaders.

But on his way up he met with the ‘mille’ – thousands of volunteers, 16 from Talamone, who insisted on joining him to fight the Papal State in Central Italy.

Since then, the residents of Talamone have felt a great affinity to Garibaldi. A couple of years later, they built this marble statue and placed in a piazza named after the man as a constant reminder of his visit and his great deeds.