Revolutions are made in cafés: Milan’s Cinque Giornate (1848)
Mónica Vázquez Astorga
Art History Department
University of Zaragoza
ORCID: 0000-0002-7849-8772
Published: 17/12/2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.31338/ahi.2025.4.8
ABSTRACT: The Duchy of Milan belonged to the Spanish Empire from the 16th century until the beginning of the 18th century, when it passed into the hands of the Austrian Habsburgs. Factors such as secret societies, the actions of the Austrian government in the second half of 1847 and January 1848, the exaltation provoked by the revolutions that had broken out in France, Austria, Italy and the relationship between the elites and the occupying Austrians were among the causes of the Cinque Giornate of Milan, which took place between 18 and 22 March 1848. In this episode of armed insurrection, cafés played an essential role as spaces of public sociability and preferred areas of political congregation. Therefore, this study aims to analyse and highlight the function that some Milanese cafés had during their preparation and development, thus acquiring a marked political character. In this sense, the cafés della Cecchina (café Martini), della Peppina, Cova or del Duomo, where the conspirators met during the years of lively Lombard patriotism, stand out. Its role can be compared to that of Spanish cafés at the time, as was the case of the Suizo in Madrid during the episodes of the 1854 Revolution.
KEYWORDS: Risorgimento, Cinque Giornate, Milan, Giuseppe Mazzini, cafés, political meeting places.
