RASSEGNA NAZIONALE. - Periodical of culture, founded in Florence on 10 July 1879, with a precise stance as an expression of the conservative element, deemed more suitable for combating the impiety of part of the press and guiding consciences toward the serious betterment of the nation.
Initially monthly, it soon became bimonthly, then returned to monthly in its final years. An important organ of Italian culture across all fields—literature, philosophy, and religion—it distinguished itself through essays and historical, artistic, and critical studies; but above all in its desire to promote and invigorate Catholic tendencies and forces in Italy that were at once liberal. Its program was drafted by Augusto Conti, and among its contributors were some of the most authoritative figures, such as E. Pistelli, F. Tocco, G. Lasinio, F. Scerbo, G. Mazzoni, F. Ramorino, F. Crispolti, S. Rumor, S. Giovannozzi, and others. In the political sphere, it focused especially on advocating Catholic participation in the nation’s political life and on championing the resolution of the Roman Question (though not always by appropriate means, as in the case of Monsignor Bonomelli [v.]), while in the religious sphere it sought to promote a certain harmony between science and faith, though one that demanded a flexible and progressive Catholicism, such as that expressed by A. Fogazzaro in his novels.
In 1922, R. moved to Rome and gradually distanced itself from its original program, embracing new directions that little by little transformed it into a publication quite different from its earlier form. It ceased publication in 1944.