Why did Giuseppe Garibaldi protest when Nice was given to France in 1860?

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Portrait of Giuseppe Garibaldi wearing a beret and cloak, with a full beard and mustache, looking toward the camera. — Giuseppe Garibaldi Giuseppe Garibaldi, c. 1860–82.

Giuseppe Garibaldi was deeply angered when his hometown of Nice was ceded to France by the Piedmontese government in 1860.1

As a dedicated patriot working toward the unification of Italy, Garibaldi viewed the transfer of the city—which had been under the control of the House of Savoy since 1814—as a betrayal of the national principle. He made a rare appearance in parliament to formally protest the decision, viewing the act as a violation of Italian territory and integrity. While the prime minister Camillo di Cavour and King Victor Emmanuel II prioritized political maneuvering and the expansion of Piedmont, Garibaldi’s opposition highlighted the fundamental tension between his republican, nationalist ideals and the more cautious, pragmatic approach of the monarchy.21