Italians by nature

A new look at the history of Italy, with neither heroic myths nor ideological nostalgia, and a reflection on our knowledge of data and facts. In an age so full of summary judgements and propaganda-fuelled rhetoric, it is worth choosing well-documented books and trying to gain a better understanding what happened during the long, controversial history of the nation state. Books like Italiani per forza, which tells of “the legends against the Unification of Italy that it is high time to debunk”, by Dino Messina, Solferino, is “a counter-mainstream reconstruction beyond the myth of the Risorgimento and any partisan historical revisionism”. Messina, a great name of the Corriere della Sera, relies on good investigative journalism and on his passion for accurate historical reconstructions. National unity was certainly no pushover – it was a tough, complex operation, and not without its shadows, nor its old and new inequalities. It was in any case an ambitious, level-headed political and social project and, over time, it improved people’s living conditions and the political and economic order. A story that is worth getting to know better. Italiani per forza. Le leggende contro l’unità d’Italia che è ora di sfatare Dino Messina Solferino, 2021