Edmondo De Amicis: la formación de los jóvenes italianos según los ideales del Risorgimento. Un recorrido entre historia y ficción

This article analyses the role of Edmondo De Amicis in the education of young Italians in the light of the ideals of the Risorgimento, focusing on his works La vita militare and Cuore. Through careful pedagogical and literary reflection, the author uses fiction as a tool to educate the new generations, fusing historical and fictional elements. De Amicis, with his military background and strong patriotic spirit, attributes to the army and the school the task of forming the national character, stressing the importance of unity, sacrifice and civic sense. Cuore, in particular, takes the form of a moral guide for young readers, capable of bridging the socio-economic and regional differences that characterised post-unification Italy. Through the analysis of the historical context and the heroic figures depicted in his works, it shows how De Amicis contributed to the construction of a collective memory of the Risorgimento, aimed at the formation of the ideal citizen in the newly born Italian state. Finally, the article shows how De Amicis' narrative, by combining didactics and literature, becomes not only a historical testimony, but also an educational model for the consolidation of the patriotic and social values of the time.