Napoleone: La vita italiana durante la Rivoluzione francese e l'Impero

A lively collection of lectures delivered in Florence in 1896, this work gathers the thoughts of scholars, writers and politicians who examined how the French Revolution and the ensuing Empire reshaped Italian society. The contributors trace the turbulence of the era—from shifting borders and political allegiances to the cultural currents that rippled through towns and countryside alike. Their discussions weave together economics, law, art and the everyday experience of ordinary Italians caught in the turmoil of foreign conquest and nascent nationalism.

Among the most vivid sections is Anton Giulio Barrili’s address on Napoleon’s Italian campaign. He paints a portrait of the young general speaking Italian, promising to mobilise “two hundred thousand idle men,” and describes the rapid succession of battles that drove Austrian power from the peninsula. Barrili’s narrative blends strategic detail with a probing look at how the French presence stirred both hope and resistance among the Italian peoples.

The book’s original lecture format retains the immediacy of a spoken discourse, making it an engaging listen for anyone curious about how a foreign emperor’s ambitions ignited a transformative chapter in Italy’s history.