Storia degli Italiani, vol. 14 (di 15)

The volume opens a sweeping portrait of Italy from 1830 to 1846, tracking how each principality grappled with the after‑effects of the 1831 uprisings. In Tuscany, Grand Duke Ferdinand III and later his son Leopold II pursued a program of calm restoration, repairing the old treasury, modernising the bureaucracy and planting a network of public works. Their policies—ranging from new cadastral surveys to the founding of archives, civil‑status offices and fire brigades—set the stage for a period of relative peace and cultural flowering.

Cantù’s narrative moves beyond mere statistics, offering colourful anecdotes about the everyday Tuscan—devoted, industrious, and wary of both foreign influence and clerical overreach. He sketches the lively intellectual scene, from university scholars to exiled carbonari, and notes how schools, normal institutes and early childcare facilities began to reshape society. The tone remains balanced, celebrating achievements while acknowledging the lingering tensions that would later ignite the Risorgimento.