Umberto Zanotti Bianco and the Archaeology of Magna Graecia During the Fascist Era

This paper analyses the career of social activist, antifascist, and self-made archaeologist Umberto Zanotti Bianco and focuses on his archaeological activities in Magna Graecia in the 1920s and 1930s. Inspired by Mazzini’s ideas of cultural regeneration, he made ample use of his national and international network, including many aristocrats and scholars, to pursue his social, cultural, and scholarly objectives. In 1920 he co-founded the Società per la Magna Grecia, a private society that financed archaeological projects concentrating on the Greek past of Southern Italy. During the Fascist Era, the success of the Società created friction with the regime that ardently advocated Romanità.