author
Francesco Dall'Ongaro
1808–1873
A lively voice of the Italian Risorgimento, this 19th-century poet and dramatist mixed literature, journalism, and politics in a life shaped by revolution and exile. His work carries the energy of a writer who treated words as part of public life, not something separate from it.
1 Audiobook
Racconti
by Francesco Dall'Ongaro
About the author
Born in Mansuè in 1808, Francesco Dall'Ongaro became known as an Italian writer, poet, dramatist, journalist, and librettist. He was educated for the priesthood but left that path and turned instead toward literature and political journalism, building a career that was closely tied to the ideals and upheavals of his time.
During the years of the Risorgimento, he took an active role in public life. Sources describe him as involved in liberal journalism, associated with Garibaldi and the Roman Republic, and later forced into exile after the fall of the republican cause. That experience of political struggle shaped both his reputation and the spirit of his writing.
After returning to Italy, he continued his literary and cultural work, and he is remembered today as a versatile 19th-century figure whose career crossed poetry, theater, criticism, and civic engagement. He died in Naples in 1873.