A period of turmoil, uncertainty, and fears, the second half of the nineteenth century in Italy is also characterized by resilience, creativity, courageous discussions on the emancipation of women, and a variety of cultural products that are instrumental for the birth of a new and modern culture that will lead to the achievements of the twentieth century. Contributing to and expanding on recent scholarships on Italian literature of the nineteenth century, the book presents a series of literary, interdisciplinary and intercultural case studies. These case studies explore the social and cultural dimensions of the period, investigating the historical, literary, artistic, cultural, and social events of the time while probing their significance and relevance in bridging new Italian cultures.

This is the first major book to present a panorama of Italian painting from 1797 to 1900, placing it firmly in the mainstream of art history of the nineteenth century. Ottocento reveals the historical context for nineteenth-century Italian painting and presents major works by important Italian artists who are little known outside their native land.

The culmination of decades of nationalist aspiration and cynical Realpolitik, the Second War of Italian Unification saw Italy transformed from a patchwork of minor states dominated by the Habsburg Austrians into a unified kingdom under the Piedmontese House of Savoy. Unlike many existing accounts, which approach the events of 1859–61 from a predominantly French perspective, this study draws upon a huge breadth of sources to examine the conflict as a critical event in Italian history. A concise explanation of the origins of the war is followed by a wide-ranging survey of the forces deployed and the nature and course of the fighting – on land and at sea – and the consequences for those involved are investigated. This is a groundbreaking study of a conflict that was of critical significance not only for Italian history but also for the development of 19th-century warfare.

This book takes a long-term approach, spanning from the end of the 16th to the 19th century, to explore how men and women in Italy, France, and Spain collected, displayed, and passed down various types of papers. The contributors share a core interest in the relationship between social actors and their paper heritage. The collectors, who come from diverse cultural, social, and gender backgrounds, provide insights into the reasons and processes behind the accumulation, valorisation, and transmission of their paper heritage. Unlike most studies on collecting, this book shifts the focus away from collections and institutions to the owners of the collected objects and their desires for their accumulated papers. This volume covers three centuries and provides insights into the aspirations of collectors and the fate of their papers after transmission. It takes place against the backdrop of major social, political, and cultural changes affecting the Italian peninsula, the Spanish monarchy, and France. The cultural interests and the collector networks often extended beyond Europe, as noted by many of the essays in this volume. Paper Heritage in Italy, France, Spain and Beyond (16th to 19th Centuries) will interest scholars and students of Early Modern and Modern European History across various fields, including social and cultural history, intellectual history, gender history, history of collecting and patronage.

Bringing together the work of a ground-breaking group of scholars working on the Italian Risorgimento to consider how modern Italian national identity was first conceived and constructed politically, the book makes a timely contribution to current discussions about the role of patriotism and the nature of nationalism in present-day Italy.

The purpose of this volume is to provide a conspectus of current research on the history of guilds and corporations in Italy in the period from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th century. Particular aims are to examine the relationship between guilds, manufacturing, entrepreneurship, and economic development, and their impact on urban society and social welfare. The work derives from a major project set up in 1994; the results were discussed at a conference in Rome in September 1997, and formed the basis for a further presentation by Professor Carlo Poni at the 12th International Economic History Conference in Seville. The papers are grouped into three sections, dealing with the guild system in urban areas, case studies of individual guilds and conflicts, and their role in mutual aid and assistance. Specially translated for this volume, they trace for the English-speaking world a rich picture of the history of the Italian guild system in the modern era, and its movement from magnificence to decline.