The Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed, and Turin (already the political center of Piedmont-Sardinia) became the first capital of the new state—setting the stage for later capital relocations as unification remained incomplete without Rome.
Italy and France signed the September Convention, under which France would withdraw troops from Rome within two years and Italy would guarantee the remaining Papal State frontier; a related protocol committed Italy to move the capital from Turin to another city (later Florence) within six months, as a signal of restraint regarding Rome.
Public anger in Turin over the impending loss of capital status culminated in clashes on 21–22 September 1864, when security forces fired on demonstrators, causing significant casualties and deepening political instability around the transfer decision.
Italy enacted Law no. 2032 (11 December 1864), formally ordering the transport of the capital of the Kingdom to Florence, implementing the political commitment behind the September Convention.
Florence formally assumed the role of national capital, beginning the “Firenze capitale” period (1865–1871) during which ministries and central institutions operated from the city while Rome remained outside the kingdom.
Architect Giuseppe Poggi delivered a rapid urban expansion/modernization plan to adapt Florence for capital functions, a program that helped drive demolitions (including walls) and new boulevards in the following years.
With Florence as capital, Palazzo Vecchio gained renewed national importance as a major governmental seat during the temporary-capital period (1865–1871).
War with Austria (alongside Prussia) underscored the strategic pressures on the young kingdom while operating from Florence; national priorities remained fixed on completing unification, with Rome still protected by French power and papal sovereignty.
In line with the September Convention, French troops withdrew from Rome by late 1866; the withdrawal proved temporary, as France later returned troops after renewed unrest and conflict around Rome.
Italian troops entered Rome on 20 September 1870, breaching the Aurelian Walls near Porta Pia and ending the temporal rule of the Papal States over the city—an essential precondition for making Rome the capital.
A plebiscite in Rome and surrounding territory ratified annexation to the Kingdom of Italy, providing a political/legal basis for the final move of national institutions from Florence to Rome.
Rome was formally proclaimed the capital of Italy, ending Florence’s six-year tenure as temporary capital and completing the capital’s transfer sequence Turin → Florence → Rome.
Parliament passed the Law of Guarantees to define the pope’s status and privileges after the loss of temporal power; Pope Pius IX rejected it, intensifying the long-running “Roman Question” despite Rome’s new role as capital.
Transfer of the Italian Capital: Turin to Florence to Rome (1861–1871)
