Un popolo distrutto

INDUSTRY: At the Paris International Exhibition in 1856 it received the Prize for the third industrially developed country in the world (first in Italy);                                 First iron suspended bridge (across the Garigliano river);                                           First railroad and railway station in Italy (Napoli-Portici railroad);                               First gas-fuelled lighting system;                                                                               First electric telegraph, in function since 1852;                                                             First network of lighthouses with lenses system;                                                   Largest engineering industry in Italy, at Pietrarsa;                                                 Naples shipyard had the first masonry dry dock in Italy;                                             First steamship of Mediterranean Sea (the boat "S. Ferdinando" then called "Ferdinando I");                                                                                                         First war steamship of Italy (the frigate "Ercole"), launched at Castellammare;             First steamer of Mediterranean Sea to America (the "Sicilia", 26 days spended);     First helical ship of Italy (the "Monarca"), launched at Castellammare;                     First cruise ship of Europe (the "Francesco I");                                                         First submarine telegraph in continental Europe;                                                      First experiment of electric lighting in Italy (at Capodimonte, Naples);                     First electric-magnetic seismograph in the world (by Luigi Palmieri);                         First locomotive steam engine built in Italy, at Pietrarsa.                           ECONOMY:Reclamation of Terra di Lavoro (Caserta);                                             State revenue listed at 12% at Paris Stock Exchange;                                           Lower discount rate (5%);                                                                                           First bank checks in the history of economics (policies on Credit Guarantees);           First University Chair in Economics (Naples, Antonio Genovesi, 1754);                      First Goods Exchange and second Stock Exchange in continental Europe;             Greatest number of Joint-Stock Companies in Italy;                                                    Best public finance in Italy (*); this was the pattern in 1860 (in million gold-lire):- Kingdom of the Two Sicilies: 443, 2- Lombardy: 8,1- Venetian Region: 12,7- Duchy of Modena: 0,4- Parma and Piacenza: 1,2- Pontifical State: 90,6- Kingdom of Sardinia: 27- Grand Duchy of Tuscany: 84,2                                                                                 First merchant fleet in Italy (third in the world);                                                        First cruising fleet in the Mediterranean;First steamboat in the Mediterranean;       First Italian fleet to reach America and the Pacific Ocean;                                         First pension system in Italy (with 2% deductions on salaries);                               Lower number of taxes in all Italian States.                                                               Biggest naval industry of Italy on the basis of numers of workers (Castellammare di Stabia, 2000 workers);                                                                                          Highest rate quotation of income of Government Security (120 in Paris Stock Exchange);                                                                                                            Income of Government quoted in Paris Stock Exchange at12%;                        Smallest discount rate (5%);                                                                                    First town in Italia on the basis of numers of printers (113 only in Naples);             First italian country on gloves production;                                                                 First International Prix on the basis of Pasta production (Paris industry exhibition);       First International Prix on the basis of Corals manifacture (Paris industry exhibition).

JURISPRUDENCE – MILITARY ORGANISATION:                                               Promulgation of the first Maritime Code in Italy;                                                        First military code;                                                                                            Institutes of justification of judgements (Gaetano Filangieri, 1774);                  Establishment of Military Colleges (Nunziatella);                                                       Fire Brigade;                                                                                                                   First realization of principles in order to criminal rehabilitation.                                SOCIETY, SCIENCE AND CULTURE                                                                        First allocation in Italy of "Council Hauses" (San Leucio near Caserta)                     First italian cemetery for poors (il "Cimitero delle 366 fosse", near Poggioreale, Naples);                                                                                                                            First town plan in Italy, for Naples;                                                                             Chair of Psychiatry; Chair of Obstetrics and surgery observations; Physics Laboratory of the King;                                                                                                                  Vesuvian seismologic observatory (first in the world), with its meteorologic station; Highest percentage of physicians per capita in Italy;                                                  Lowest infant mortality rate in Italy;                                                                        First tourist agencies in Italy;                                                                                Archaeological Excavations at Pompeii and Herculaneum;                                             Papyrus Factory in Herculaneum;                                                                                   First astronomical observatory in Italy (at Capodimonte, Naples);                            First University Chair in Astronomy; Accademy of architecture, ones of first and more prestigious in Europe;                                                                                               First intervention in Italy of Anti- tuberculosis prophylaxis;                                        First establishment of free health care (industrial area of San Leucio, near Caserta);   First maritime atlas in the world (G. Antonio Rizzi Zannoni, "Atlante Marittimo delle Due Sicilie");                                                                                                                       First museum of mineralogy in the world;First botanical garden in Italy ("Orto Botanico", in Naples);                                                                                                First italian periodical psychiatric (published by "Reale Morotrofio" of Aversa, by Biagio Miraglio);                                                                                                                    First in the italian States in order to number of orphanage, old people's home, colleges, academy of music and assistance structures;                                               First italian institute for deaf-mute persons;                                                                  First dance school in Italy (linked to "San Carlo" theatre, Naples);                          First town in Italy in order to number of theatres (Naples);                                      First town in Italy in order to number of academies of music (Naples);                        First town in Italy in order to number of publications of newspapers and magazines (Naples); Posillipo painting school (among others, G. Gigante studied here);             The very famous ceramic and porcelain manufactures, among which Capodimonte manufactures                                                                                                                S. Carlo’s Theatre (the first in the world), rebuild in just 270 days after the fire of 1816;Neapolitan music school (Paisiello, Cimarosa, Scarlatti);World success (still now) of Neapolitan songs;                                                                                                   The great royal palaces.These are just the “supremacies”. Our list do not include all activities carried out in the Kingdom and the success and progress reached in every sector, since we have already outlined them under the previous headings. We just mention here, as a further example, the tapestry weaving school. To conclude, we think that to arouse controversies is out of place here. We just desire to stress three historical truths so manifest to be incontrovertible: after what described on this website,1) can we still continue to believe in the «Risorgimento» “vulgate” presenting the Bourbon Kingdom as the most hated and old-fashioned in Italy?2)how to explain that before 1861 the phenomenon of migration did not exist at all and that after that date almost 20,000,000 desperate people had to migrate?3) can all this provide an explanation of the tragic as well as heroic phenomenon of the pro-Bourbon revolution of 1860-1865?It is clear, now more than ever, that Italians must be informed about their history according to greater unbiased criteria. And this is not to arouse fruitless controversies, but to honour and serve historical truth. And to serve the memory of the cultural and civil identity of all Italians.(*) See F.S. NITTI, “La scienza delle finanze”, quoted in H. ACTON, “The Last Bourbons of Naples” (1962), Italian version edited by Giunti, Florence 1997, p. 2.