The landscape as a means to nationalization: Italian heritage and national identity education in the 19th and 20th century

This paper investigates the role of the urban and natural landscape in building the Italian national identity across the 19th and the 20th century, using the culture of education as a medium connecting the two elements. As for methodology, the issue is addressed from three distinct yet intertwined perspectives: the narrated landscape (mainly in reading books for primary school); the represented landscape (images accompanying the stories, wall charts, but also educational films); the perceived landscape (through the practice of school trips). For each perspective, the paper draws from a variety of specific sources: from schoolbooks to teaching aids, from laws to materials documenting the activities of associations that worked closely with schools (Touring Club, the Italian Alpine Club).