1848 in Italy is remembered for a more general and widespread outburst of revolutionary protest in support of liberal nationalism. Giovanni was still too young to participate as actively as his brother Emilio in the March uprising on the streets of Milan, but his emotional commitment was total, as was his joy at seeing the revolutionary flag fluttering from the spire of the cathedral. It was not all joy, however. Many Milanese families, among them the Visconti Venosta, were forced out of their homes, which were commandeered to accommodate Austrian troops. The family found shelter with a Signora Garnier who ran a girls' boarding school.