Monumenti antichi e insegnamento archeologico in Italia nei primi decenni dopo l'Unità

The archaeological debate after the unification of Italy followed two streams: a. the preservation and restoration of monuments as well as the excavations in areas simbolically important; b. theoretical debate on teaching practices in universities. The reorganization of archaeological teaching at the University of Rome was a government priority, as it was the management of the majestic body of ruins that the city offered, and the excavation of ancient monuments in the heart of the city. Rome with its evidence of the imperial past offered the nation a new model of unsurpassed grandeur. This model was politically valid and enforceable against the papacy because of its secularity. Both the Right that the Left used the ancient monuments to legitimate a new image of the unified nation, though with different nuances, respectively moderating or reinforcing anti-clerical connotations.