Visitare il Risorgimento: turismo patriottico e diplomazia della memoria a Solferino e San Martino (1859-1909)

In the 19th century, battlefields played an increasingly important role in the imaginaries and sensibilities of the public, establishing themselves as destinations of a new travel experience that can be defined as patriotic tourism. The article will consider the Italian Risorgimento, presenting the battle of Solferino and San Martino as a case study. More precisely, it will reconstruct the touristic and memorial policies implemented by the Society of Solferino and San Martino, from the aftermath of the battle until the celebration of its fiftieth anniversary in 1909, under the different presidencies of Luigi Torelli, Vincenzo Stefano Breda and Carlo Maluta. A transnational perspective will also be adopted, analysing touristic flows from abroad and the central role played by French diplomacy in publicising and promoting the sites of the 1859 Campaign.