Blurred Nationalities Across the North Atlantic : Traders, Priests, and Their Kin Travelling Between North America and the Italian Peninsula, 1763–1846

A new examination of transatlantic mobility between early North America and the Italian peninsula. Based on a vast array of previously untapped archival sources, this book shows the international outlook and the multifaceted personalities of its protagonists. "Long before the mid-nineteenth century, hundreds, if not thousands of people were constantly moving between the United States and British North America and Leghorn, Genoa, Naples, Rome, Sicily, Piedmont, Lombardy, Venice and Trieste. Predominantly traders, sailors, transient workers, Catholic priests and seminarians, this group relied on the exchange of goods across the Atlantic to solidify transatlantic relations; during this period, stories about the New World passed between travellers through word of mouth and letter writing. Based on a vast and in-depth examination of newly-found personal and commercial correspondence, Blurred Nationalities is a major addition to the study of transatlantic mobility and migration between North America and the Italian peninsula. Blurred Nationalities challenges the idea that the level of national origin, for instance, Italianness, comprises the most only significant feature of this group's identity, revealing the multifaceted personalities of the people involved in these exchanges."-- Provided by publisher Contents 7 Foreword 11 Preface 13 Abbreviations 21 Introduction: “Contributors” and the “Enlightened,” or the Invention of Italianness 29 Chapter One. Early Relations between the Italian Peninsula and North America: Codfish, Leghorn, and Genoa, 1744–1839 51 Chapter Two. Early Relations between the Italian Peninsula and North America: Naples, Turin, Venice, Trieste, and Milan, 1761–1825 80 Chapter Three. Rome, the Italian Peninsula’s Most International Capital: Students, Consuls, and Distinguished Visitors, 1788–1848 108 Chapter Four. Rome: Priests across the Ocean and the Extent of Romanization, 1801–1836 133 Chapter Five. North Atlantic Networks of Trade and Religion: Leghorn and Filippo Filicchi, 1788–1816 169 Chapter Six. Antonio Filicchi’s Business and Personal Networks across the North Atlantic, 1816–1847 191 Chapter Seven. Angelo Inglesi, from Rome with Love: The Ultimate Scoundrel Priest in North America, c. 1795–1825 219 Conclusion. Lives of Non-illustrious Men 244 List of Tables 253 Notes 255 Bibliography 415 Index 475

Long before the mid-nineteenth century, thousands of people were frequently moving between North America – specifically, the United States and British North America – and Leghorn, Genoa, Naples, Rome, Sicily, Piedmont, Lombardy, Venice, and Trieste. Predominantly traders, sailors, transient workers, Catholic priests, and seminarians, this group relied on the exchange of goods across the Atlantic to solidify transatlantic relations; during this period, stories about the New World passed between travellers through word of mouth and letter writing.

Blurred Nationalities across the North Atlantic challenges the idea that national origin – for instance, Italianness – constitutes the only significant feature of a group’s identity, revealing instead the multifaceted personalities of the people involved in these exchanges.

Long before the mid-nineteenth century, thousands of people were frequently moving between North America – specifically, the United States and British North America – and Leghorn, Genoa, Naples, Rome, Sicily, Piedmont, Lombardy, Venice, and Trieste. Predominantly traders, sailors, transient workers, Catholic priests, and seminarians, this group relied on the exchange of goods across the Atlantic to solidify transatlantic relations; during this period, stories about the New World passed between travellers through word of mouth and letter writing. Blurred Nationalities across the North Atlantic challenges the idea that national origin – for instance, Italianness – constitutes the only significant feature of a group's identity, revealing instead the multifaceted personalities of the people involved in these exchanges. Long before the mid-nineteenth century, thousands of people were constantly moving between the United States and British North America and Leghorn, Genoa, Naples, Rome, Sicily, Piedmont, Lombardy, Venice, and Trieste. Predominantly traders, sailors, transient workers, Catholic priests, and seminarians, this group relied on the exchange of goods across the Atlantic to solidify transatlantic relations; during this period, stories about the New World passed between travellers through word of mouth and letter writing. Blurred Nationalities challenges the idea that national origin, for instance, Italianness, comprises the only significant feature of a group’s identity, and reveals instead the multifaceted personalities of the people involved in these exchanges