Abstract

The article aims to examine the genesis of the Viaggio elettorale, reconstructing the political context in which De Sanctis’ candidature took place. It retraces, in as much detail as possible, through published and unpublished epistolary sources, De Sanctis’ electoral vicissitudes prior to his Viaggio, focusing on the processes of construction of politics. Through the analysis of private documents such as letters, a micro-historical approach highlights those informal aspects of society that usually stay in the shadows and through which it is possible to investigate the grey area between institutions, society and individuals