9 - Italy, 1760–1815

Summary

Until the 1760s, the map of Italian political journalism, reflecting the complex political conditions of a peninsula divided into a mosaic of absolute states and ancient republics, still presented features which had been established very much earlier. While Mantua, Bologna, Rimini, Modena, Parma, Florence, Venice and Foligno could boast the existence of newspapers whose circulation extended well beyond the limits of state boundaries, the capitals of absolute states like Milan, Naples and Rome only had their official publications, dry bulletins listing official events, decrees and news from foreign courts intended only for a small circle of civil servants. The success of gazettes printed in peripheral cities – the foundation of which, in some cases, dated back to the previous century – depended on the fact that their location enabled them both to collect information more quickly from across the borders and to escape the control of central governments. For this reason they enjoyed a broader readership and a wider circulation. Venice and Genoa were the two most important centres for the collection of international political news. News was collected by specialised agencies from diplomats resident in the cities where they operated, or brought from abroad, although the channels for the further transmission of international news and the networks established across the peninsula are still largely unknown.

During the period between 1760 and 1790, the political press in the Italian peninsula underwent dramatic changes.