The authoress aims at analyse the different motivations of "becoming garibaldinians", through the biographies of some venetian garibaldinians, especially in the years 1859-1866. The analysis of autobiographic sources as memories, diaries and letters allows to know ideal motivations, that concerns national-patriotic discourse, but also other causes as the wish to shun starvation, improve personal economy, get a higher social status (for instance take up a military career in the army); besides there are varied motivations on a psycological-existential level, as spirit of adventure, restleness, irresponsibility, uneasiness, emulation, curiosity, boredom etc. and some motivations that concern family relationships. The authoress has tried to point out the complexity of the question and she has considered the different studies of historiography of Risorgimento.
Keywords: Venetian garibaldinians, national-patriotic discourse, Garibaldi, Ippolito Nievo, economic and social motivations, emotions and sentiments