DIARIO DI ROMA. - This D[iary], commonly called Cracas, is the most important and characteristic Roman periodical of the 1700s and 1800s. It was begun on 5 Aug. 1716, under Clement XI, by the Hungarian brothers Luca Antonio and Giovanni Cracas in order to disseminate news of the Austro-Turkish war. Once this ended in 1719, it continued, acquiring ever greater importance. It died out in 1894.
The newspaper, printed in Rome at the Cracas press near S. Marco al Corso, was of a very small format, in 24mo, from 12 to 34 pages; sometimes with a supplement. The title page was variously illustrated. The first title was Diario ordinario d'Ungheria; at first it gave only foreign military news; in 1718 some mention of Roman chronicle was added and it became semiweekly. With no. 213 of 1718 the title was Diario ordinario and remained such throughout 1774. From 1721 the D. was triweekly; from 2 Sept. 1768 it came out on Friday with news from Italy and abroad; on Saturday with that from Rome. No. 8234, 30 Jan. 1771, mentions the death of Caterina Cracas, daughter of Luca Antonio, who for 40 years had dedicated her life to the D., overseeing its compilation. Subsequently, the newspaper was directed by the abbot Vincenzo Giannini, by Gaetano Cavalletti, by the abbot Pietro Magnani and by Giovanni de Angelis. From 1775 there are two D.s with a new progressive numerical series, namely the Diario estero of 24 pages which comes out on Friday and the Diario ordinario of 12 or more pages, which comes out on Saturday.
The D. was suspended from 15 Dec. 1798 and replaced by the semiweekly Gazzetta di Roma, until 5 Oct. 1799, when it resumed publication. From 29 June 1808, the D. is called D. di R. and without illustrations on the title page; it is distributed on Wednesday and Saturday. On 29 July 1809 the D. is again suspended until 13 July 1814. Toward the end of the same year the papal coat of arms begins to appear on the title page. In 1815, and until 1848, there is added to it the publication of another sheet entitled Notizie del giorno, which, having arisen to give news of the Austrian war against Murat, continues every Thursday as a supplement of the D. With 1837 the D. changes its appearance completely: of a much larger format, in 4to, each issue consists of 4 pages, in 3 columns. It comes out on Tuesday and Saturday. On the title page at the top a winged figure appears. On 15 Jan. 1848 the publication of the D. ceases, to live again, completely transformed, in the Gazzetta di Roma. In 1887 Costantino Maes takes up the ancient guise of the D., giving rise to the Cracas, 2nd series, which lasts until 8 July 1893, and to the Cracas, 3rd series, from 3 Sept. 1893 to 15 July 1894. These last two series, printed at the tipografia della Pace of F. Cuggiani, are much less important.
Bibliography
DIARIO
ORDINARY
D'UNGHERIA
(No. 1.)
Dated 5 Aug.
1716.
IN VIENNA, S. in ROME
At the Press of Gian Francesco Cracas, near S.
Marco al Corso.
With permission of the Superiors.
DIARIO
ORDINARY
No. 5010.
Dated 30. Aug.
1749.
IN ROME MOCCLIX
At the Cracas Press,
near S. Marco al Corso.
With permission of the Superiors,
and Privilege.
DIARIO
ABROAD
Number 1.
Dated 6. January
1775.
IN ROME MOCCLXXV.
At the Cracas Press
near S. Marco al Corso.
With permission of the Superiors,
and Privilege.
DIARIO
DI
ROMA
Of 29. June 1808.
1817, p. 122 ff.; G. Moroni, s. v. in Diz. di erudiz. storico-eccles., XX, pp. 13-31; A. Belli, Delle case abitate in Roma da parecchi uomini illustri, Rome 1850, p. 26; S. Bongi, Le prime gazette in Italia, in Nuova Antol., 1869, II, p. 311; C. Maes, Importanza storica del Cracas, in Cracas, 1-8 Dec. 1888: id., ibid., 16 Feb. 1889; O. Vercillo, Il Cracas nelle sue trasformazioni, in L'Urbe, 1 (Jan.-Feb. 1949).
Oslavia Vercillo