panizzi was a personal friend of british prime ministers lord palmerston and william ewart gladstone, conducted an active correspondence with sardinian, and later italian prime minister count camillo benso di cavour, and through french archaeologist and writer prosper mérimée, was well acquainted with french emperor napoleon iii and empress eugénie. in 1844, panizzi also assisted giuseppe mazzini, then in exile in london, by publishing an influential article denouncing the practice ordered by the home secretary of ordering mazzini's private letters opened by the post office and giving copies of their contents to the austrian embassy. he also orchestrated a visit of giuseppe garibaldi to england, and convinced gladstone to travel to naples to view personally the inhumane conditions in which political prisoners were kept. when his efforts to have these prisoners released failed, he raised money to buy a ship and mounted an expedition to rescue the prisoners from the island fortress of santo stefano in the gulf of gaeta. unfortunately, the ship sank in a storm shortly after leaving england. in 1859, the prisoners were released by neapolitan king ferdinand ii of the two sicilies and put on a ship bound for new york. panizzi then mounted a new expedition led by his son, who commandeered the ship and made port in england, where the former prisoners received asylum and were assured support.