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The phenomenon of military internment in Germany provides a thought-provoking context that attracts various disciplinary interests. Within this volume, the author employs a primarily archival approach, interweaving historical and anthropological perspectives. The aim is to analyze and present a complex source that defies conventional categorization. The «diary» of sailor Giulio Bogino (1923-2013) – an evolving work in progress continuously revised until the early 2000s – can indeed be considered as the testimony of an internment survivor in a concentration camp in the hinterland of Hamburg, who reinterprets the memories of his captivity throughout his lifetime, ultimately transmuting them into a sort of 'popular narrative' imbued with occasional epic undertones. This volume offers a comprehensive introduction to the source itself, highlighting its distinctive features. The diary (1943-1948) is meticulously edited and presented alongside an extensive apparatus of explanatory footnotes, accompanying documents, as well as a rich collection of photographs and cartographic materials.

ITALIANO: Al centro del saggio sono le corrispondenze di eruditi italiani dei decenni centrali dell'Ottocento. Nella prospettiva adottata lo scambio epistolare viene inteso quale strumento per comunicare informazioni, non solo personali o professionali, ma anche di natura politico-culturale: uno strumento che è a un tempo foriero di riflessioni e commenti, ma anche funzionale all'organizzazione della vita associata di persone e gruppi. E di più, il carteggio è considerato non solo come strumento, ma anche come "fine": stare in contatto per informarsi e tenere informati i corrispondenti può sostituire altri mezzi di comunicazione – ad esempio la stampa, se quella libera è proibita o strettamente vigilata – ed essere il fondamento per una "rete" di persone unite da un comune interesse. / ENGLISH: The article focuses on the correspondence of mid-nineteenth-century Italian antiquarians. The letter exchange is here understood as a medium whereby information is communicated that is not only personal or professional, but also political and cultural. It thus relates to reflections and comments, but it is also functional to the organization of the collective life of persons and groups. Moreover, correspondence is here considered not only as an instrument, but also as an "aim": to remain in contact in order to receive information and keep the correspondents informed can substitute other means of communication – for example the press, whether free, forbidden or controlled – and constitute the basis for a network of individuals united by a common interest.

In the middle decades of the 19th century (also known as the "History century"), the archives opened to historical research in Italy as well, starting to raise new awareness on the importance of documentary sources from the Medieval and Modern Ages. The network of State Archives was organised gradually; however, before and after the Unification of Italy, cities, "municipal" scholars and their networks of relationships, as well as city archives and institutions, remained a dominant element. Using classification essays and a series of researches on individual citizen contexts from the whole Italian Peninsula, this volume explores the variety and richness of this transformation, in the country's centre and in the suburbs.