He was one of those, together with Emilio Visconti Venosta and Antonio Colombo who in December 1847 got together, under Correnti's leadership, to produce the "Nipote del Vesta Verde", an "almanac" promoting the patriotic vision.

Targeted at a mass audience, the almanac dealt with popular issues such as Kindergartens for infants and mutual aid societies, but it also featured economic debate, and it did not hesitate to give advice on hygiene, a topic which presumably was championed by Griffini, the medical student in the production team.

At the time when the rebellion broke out Griffini was a few weeks short of completing his university medical studies, but now he felt obliged to abandon these in order to participate in the revolt.

Griffini teamed up with Pietro Maestri to launch "Voce del popolo" ("Voice of the people"), a daily tabloid-sized newspaper published in Milan between 26 March and 29 July 1848, with a cover price of 5 centesimi.

The relatively conciliatory spirit in respect of moderate-liberal opinion was summed up in a strikingly "constructive mission statement" printed and signed by the two editors on 26 March 1848: "Our political approach, for now, is to be helpful, supportive and obedient to the provisional government" ("Il nostro motto politico è, per ora, aiuto, soccorso, obbedienza al Governo provvisorio").

As the "ending of Milanese liberty", drew near, Romolo Griffini became secretary to the hastily convened "defence committee", which comprised Manfredo Fanti, Pietro Maestri and Francesco Restelli.

By around the end of the year he had moved on again, this time to Florence where he was present for the "peaceful revolution of 1849" which involved the (temporary) deposition of the Grand Duke of Tuscay.

[2] In Florence he worked on the republican newspaper "La Costituente italiana" (loosely "The Italian parliament"), which was produced by Antonio Mordini and L.Biscardi between 23 December 1848 and 30 March 1849.

[6] He was a co-founder of "Crepusculo" (literally: Dusk), a publication which helped to keep the flag of patriotism alive in Lombardy during the long run up to 1859, and to which he regularly contributed articles on medical and social issues.

[2] Others involved with the publication included Carlo Tenca, Emilio Visconti Venosta, Tullo Massarani, Antonio Allievi, Giuseppe Zanardelli and Gabriele Rosa.

Concerns surrounding new-born babies abandoned at the "wheel" outside the city orphanage had been high on the public agenda for decades, not just in Milan, but across catholic northern Italy.

By the time came for the implementation of many of his reforms Griffini was on the brink of retirement, but the matter was taken forward under the more than competent leadership of the advisor to the "Hospitals Institute", the obstetrician Edoardo Porro.

He remained in contact with his orphanages project, however, continuing to work on detailed proposals and urging, in his letters, that the foundlings and their poor mothers should not be forgotten.