Celebration in honour of Charles Albert of Savoy
Risorgimento national museum - Turin

Under the impetus of the House of Savoy, the people revolted and presented constitution-related grievances. The king of Piemont – Victor Emmanuel II – and his minister, Cavour, obtained French support from Napoleon III. The soldiers of Piemont, as they marched towards the Lombardy and Venetia front, fervently started singing this patriotic song, which subsequently became their national anthem, and succeeded to chase away the Austrians.

The various revolutionary movements culminated in the union of central Italy, and thereafter in the kingdom of Naples conquered by Garibaldi. The kingdom of Italy was proclaimed in 1861 and unification followed, notably with the acquisition of Venetia and Rome. 

Bersaglieri de San Dona di Piave fanfare (Venezia)

It was finally on October 12, 1946, that Inno di Mameli, aka Fratelli d'Italia, replaced the Kingdom’s Marcia Reale to become the national anthem of Italy.

November 9, 2008 - Commemoration of the Great War armistice
Italian patrol in the sky of Rome - Collection PC FNCV

Presented here is a high quality instrumental version.

(c) PC FNCV

1 - Fratelli d’Italia
L’Italia s’è desta,
Dell’elmo di Scipio
S’è cinta la testa.
Dov’è la vittoria?
Le porgo la chioma,
Ché schiava di Roma
Iddio la creò.

Stringiamoci a coorte
Siam' pronti alla morte
Siam' pronti alla morte
L’Italia chiamò.

2 - Noi siamo da secoli
Calpesti, derisi,
Perché non siam' popolo,
Perché siamo divisi.
Raccolgaci un’unica
Bandiera, una speme:
Di fonderci insieme
Già l’ora suonò.

3 - Uniamoci, amiamoci,
l’Unione, e l’amore
Rivelano ai popoli
Le vie del Signore;
Giuriamo far libero
Il suolo natío:
Uniti per Dio
Chi vincerci può?

4 - Dall’Alpi a Sicilia
Dovunque è Legnano,
Ogni uomo di Ferruccio
Ha il core, ha la mano,
I bimbi d’Italia
Si chiamano Balilla, ,
Il suon d’ogni squilla
I vespri suonò.

5 - Sono giunchi che piegano
Le spade vendute:
Già l’Aquila d’Austria
Le penne ha perdute.
Il sangue d’Italia,
Il sangue polacco,
Beve, col Cosacco,
Ma il core lo bruciò.

Brothers of Italy,
Italy has awoken,
With Scipio's helmet
Binding her head.
Where is Victory?
Let her bow down,
For God has made her
Rome's slave.

Let us join in cohort,
We are ready to die!
We are ready to die!
Italy has called!

We were for centuries
Downtrodden and derided,
Because we are not one people,
Because we are divided.
Let one flag, one hope
Gather us all.
The hour has struck
For us to join together!

Let us join in cohort,
We are ready to die!
We are ready to die!
Italy has called!

Let us unite and love one another;
Union and love
Show the people
The way of the Lord
Let us swear to free
Our native soil;
United under God,
Who can defeat us?

Let us join in cohort,
We are ready to die!
We are ready to die!
Italy has called!

From the Alps to Sicily,
Legnano is everywhere;
Every man has the heart
And hand of Ferruccio
The children of Italy
Are all called Balilla;
Every trumpet blast
Sounds the Vespers.

Let us join in cohort,
We are ready to die!
We are ready to die!
Italy has called!

Mercenary swords,
They're feeble reeds.
The Austrian eagle
Has already lost its feathers.
The blood of Italy
And the Polish blood
It drank, along with the Cossack,
But it burned her heart.

Let us join in cohort,
We are ready to die!
We are ready to die!
Italy has called!