Monika Poettinger is Professor of Economic History at Bocconi University, Italy. She is the co-editor, along with Gianfranco Tusset, of Economic Thought and History (2016).Piero Roggi is Professor for the History of Economic Thought at the University of Florence, Italy. He is the editor, on behalf of the Italian Senate, of the diaries of Amintore Fanfani.

• List of IllustrationsList of MapsList of TablesList of ContributorsIntroduction: Florence, Capital of the Kingdom of Italy, Monika Poettinger (Bocconi University, Italy)Part I: Culture and Politics1. A New Capital for Italy: Politics and Culture, Cosimo Ceccuti (University of Florence, Italy)2. A Capital of Culture, Sergio Caruso (University of Florence, Italy)3. Bettino Ricasoli: Economic Policy or House Management?, Piero Roggi (University of Florence, Italy)4. Bettino Ricasoli and the Sunset of Moderate Hegemony, Daniele Bronzuoli (University of Siena, Italy)5. Activist Literary Culture in Florence (1865-1871), Gino Tellini (University of Florence, Italy)6. Science and Florence’s Ruling Class - Fabio Bertini (University of Florence, Italy)7. The Technical Institute of Florence at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867, Paolo Brenni, Laura Faustini, Elena Mechi (Science and Technology Foundation, Italy)Part II: A Stroll Around Florence Capital of Italy8. Popular Life in the Streets of Florence, Zeffiro Ciuffoletti and Maria Grazia Proli (University of Florence, Italy)9. A Stroll around Florence: Places of Power, Places of Pleasure, Maria Carla Monaco (Independent Scholar, Italy)Part III: Economy and Society10. An Economy Stuck at the Crossroads to Modernity, Andrea Giuntini (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy)11. Florentine, Italian and Foreign Entrepreneurs in the Urban Renovation of Florence, Daniela Manetti (University of Pisa, Italy)12. Enterprises and Entrepreneurs in Tuscany, Monika Poettinger (Bocconi University, Italy)13. Food Availability and Consumption Patterns in Florence and Tuscany after Italy's Unification, Francesco Ammannati (Bocconi University, Italy) 14. Banks and Capitalists in Florence in the Decades after Unification, Marco Cini (University of Pisa, Italy) and Simone Fagioli (Italian Association of Archivists, Italy)15. Straw Hats: The Invisible Work of Women behind the International Image of Florence, Monica Pacini (University of Florence, Italy) BibliographyIndex

A fascinating account of Florentine life in the nineteenth century, and a snapshot of the city when it was the capital of Italy, this series of essays shows the city in all its delightful complexity, poised between tradition and modernity, political conservatism and cultural innovation. For lovers of Florence seeking to know more about the history of the modern city, and the material realities behind its Renaissance facade, this book is a must-read.