Abstract

The close relationship between Giorgio La Pira and Lorenzo Milani as well as their mutual influences have been frequently mentioned by historiography, but not adequately explored. This study of their unpublished correspondence sheds light on their respective biographies and provides an in-depth analysis of some relevant moments of their religious and political actions. These new letters, combined with previous archival documents, allow to reconstruct some instances of the Florentine and Italian Catholicism. The historicization of these two figures enables the study to investigate beyond the hagiographies and condemnations that still strongly characterize the public debate on both La Pira and Milani.