Educated by the Scolopii in Genoa in the classics, Mameli's love
of poetry prevailed over an abortive career in philosophy and
law when he was expelled from the University of Genoa in 1841
for a misdemeanor. Attracted to Mazzini's Young Italy, the early
romanticism expressed in his poetry soon found political themes
in the emerging historical events and rapidly changing political
climate with sonnets to Charles Albert, odes to Bandiera
brothers and to the apparent liberal reforms of Pius IX. Of his
many ardent patriotic poems set to music, his fame, among many
competing versifiers of 1848-49, rested upon " Fratelli
d'Italia" written during demonstrations in Genoa in early
September 1847 and set to music by a Genoese living in Turin,
Michele Novaro. It was sung throughout the revolutions,
popularized by succeeding generations of Garibaldini but did not
receive the status as Italy's national anthem until 1946. Mameli
was a favorite poet of Mazzini, who in 1850 wrote the preface to
an edition of the poet's works