The representation of the cultural and natural heritage as a training tool of national consciousness in three classics of the Nineteenth century Italian school: Giannetto, Il Bel Paese and Cuore

The article aims to explore the theme of cultural and landscape heritage in the Nineteenth century through the analysis of primary school textbooks. In particular, the A. focuses the attention on three well-known and very successful reading books: Giannetto by Luigi Alessandro Parravicini (1837), Il Bel Paese by Antonio Stoppani (1876) and Cuore by Edmondo De Amicis (1886). The A., through a detailed analysis of content and using the most reliable bibliography of historical-educational and historical-literary field, shows that, although with different perspectives, these three classics of Nineteenth century educational literature fit perfectly in the large debate that, in the decades following the Italian Unity, was the central theme of the construction of national identity. Therefore, the article aims to provide a new and original reading of these three long-sellers, which shows that in the three works – certainly with different approaches, symptomatic of the historical moment and the author’s cultural background – the reference to the natural and historic-artistic beauties of the Italian Peninsula is part of the set of behaviours, values, and content deemed essential to build the Italian identity.