Solferino is a small town that went down in history thanks to the great battle of 1859. Its effect, apart from political and military gains, was the appointment of the Red Cross, which is still one of the largest charitable organizations in the world.
Since the Middle Ages, the location of Solferino made it a strategic point. To this day, you can see the remains of the Solferino Fortress, also known as Rocca, which was called "the eyes of Italy". From its tower it was possible to control the border between Lombardy and France.
For centuries, the city served primarily as a point on a trade route. It went down in history in 1859, when a battle took place in its vicinity between the Austro-Venetian and Franco-Sardinian forces. As a result, almost 30 thousand people died. soldiers and tens of thousands were wounded. A witness to this battle, Swiss businessman Henri Dunant, shocked by the number of victims, decided to establish an organization that would help soldiers regardless of the parties to the conflict. Thus, the Red Cross uprising was initiated. The Red Cross Monument, unveiled on the 100th anniversary of the battle, reminds of this.
Today's Solferino is a small town with a nice Romanesque church, remains of old buildings and the Resorgimento Movement Museum, which led to the unification of Italy.
