The Five Days of Milan

The historian Cesare Cantù, that saw from near the barricades, told:
The people in Milan had never seen barricades but they comprehended ones to the first rush and thay erected them for the whole inhabited area.
They used what could be all right: carriages, suites of various kind, beds, pallets, boxes, mattresses, chairs, confessionals, benches, in brief what could be stacked was all right, even the theatrical pretenses of woods and giants.
Barricades in every street and bells rings to tocsin. Everywhere innumerable episodes of value: every name, every square, every streets had his heroes, many known, a lot unknown.
The weapons, those true, were lacking and the people were forced to give them, invading and stripping the armories of the museums and wardrobes of theaters.

The heroic and beloved Martnitt
To the construction of the barricades had participated even the orfanellis, the good ones «Martinitt» so dear to the Milaneses and all nicely known for their characteristic uniform with tuba and jacket from fluttering tails. They shelled from barricade in the barricade, bringing orders, powders, foods.
These valorous sons of the city beneficence were theme of admiration for everybody.
- Put'em up!Martinitt! - the women shouted, while they made to roll down toward "Tosa Door" the fascine of wood for build the first mobile barricades.
But was there perhaps need to incite them? And who climbed on the roofs to spy the enemy? Who gave madly in the bells?
Finally, toward the evening of the fifth day, the shouts of Victoria made to run and to crowd toward the Bridge St. Damiano all people were around for the squares and for the streets.
This time the barricades and their custodians were not good anymore to restrain the people. "Tosa Door" could certainly deserve the name of "Victoria Door".

The Austrians leave from Milan
through Tosa Door.