Final answer:
The false fact is that Otto von Bismarck led forces through Sicily and southern Italy; Bismarck was actually involved in the unification of Germany, not Italy. Giuseppe Garibaldi was the figure associated with those Italian campaigns.
Step-by-step explanation:
The false fact about Italy and Germany in the 19th century is: C. Otto von Bismarck led his northern Italian forces into Sicily and up through southern Italy in order to unify his nation. Otto von Bismarck was actually a key figure in the unification of Germany, not Italy. The correct individual associated with leading forces through Sicily and southern Italy for Italian unification is Giuseppe Garibaldi.
German unification was primarily achieved through the efforts of Otto von Bismarck, the Prime Minister of Prussia, who used diplomacy and military action to unite the various German states under Prussian leadership. This process was consolidated after the Franco-Prussian War, where the collection of separate German states was unified into the German Empire in 1871.
For Italy, it was Giuseppe Garibaldi, along with other key figures like Count Camillo di Cavour and King Victor Emmanuel II, who played crucial roles in unifying the disparate Italian states. Garibaldi's campaign in southern Italy, specifically in Sicily, was instrumental to the unification process, which was largely completed with the annexation of Rome in 1870.