The Obelisk of the Square Batallion

On June 24th 1866, during the Third Independence War, the Italian troops arrived near Villafranca. Amongst them there was the 16^th Infantry Division, leaded by prince Umberto of Savoy.

Attacked by the imperial cavalry, the Infantry division formed up a square batallion to fight back against the enemy. The prince took shelter among the IV battalion of the 49^th Infantry division Parma, and the Imperial cavalry attacked even more violently: 600 selected expert soldiers – Austrian, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak and Polish – against 446 amongst peasants, artisans and simple workers fighting together for the first time in the entire history of Italy. These soldiers came from all over the country: 88 from the former Pedmont, 48 from Lombardy, 54 from Parma, 9 from Modena, 85 from Romagna, 6 from Tuscany, 21 from Umbria and Marche, 97 from Southern Italy, 29 from Sicily and 9 escaped fron Veneto, still part of the Austrian Empire. The fight was terrible, and the Austrian Cavalry was defeated. Only 200 chevaliers managed to escape to Sommacampagna.

In memory of the glorious battle a small monument was raised in 1880 near the little church of St. John of the Straw. In 1989 it was destroyed by a thunderstorm and hence replaced by an obelisk near the road that leads to the town centre. (source: Nazario Barone)