Dottorato in Patrimonio Culturale e produzione storico-artistica, audiovisiva e multimediale

Davide Tropeano pursued his academic studies at the University of Turin, earning a BA in History and a MA cum laude in Historical Sciences. He further expanded his historical background by obtaining a diploma in Paleography, Diplomatics, and Archival Science at the Scuola di Archivistica, Paleografia e Diplomatica, based at the National Archives of Turin (Archivio di Stato di Torino).

In 2024, he was awarded a PhD scholarship (40th cycle) in Cultural Heritage and Historical-Artistic, Audiovisual, and Multimedia Production at the Department of Historical Studies of the University of Turin.

From 2018 to 2023, he was actively involved in promoting the cultural and historical heritage of the Biella area. He worked as a guide within the Piedmontese network of ecomuseums, first in the Anfiteatro Morenico of Ivrea (Rete Museale AMI) and later in the Biella area (Rete Museale Biellese). In 2023, he was selected for an internship at the Fila Foundation Museum, where he contributed to museum communication, archival work, and activities related to the brand’s corporate heritage.

In 2020, a chapter from his Bachelor’s thesis, La costruzione di un profilo pubblico. La famiglia Trossi fra Otto e Novecento, was published in L’Impegno, the journal of the Institute for the History of the Resistance and Contemporary Society in Biella, Vercelli, and Valsesia (chapter title: Carlo Felice Trossi. Un interprete del suo tempo). In 2021, the results of research conducted for the conference "L’altro Piemonte e per la Costituzione e per l’Italia 1821–2021” were published as an article in Studi e Ricerche sul Biellese (Scienziati, Patrioti e Filantropi. I liberali biellesi fra Piemonte e Argentina).

Genesis, Sedimentation, Selection, and Public Use: National History Collections in Italy between Private Memory, Local Identity, and Official Celebration

The project seeks to explore Risorgimento collections in Italy through a historiographical lens. As key agents of the patriotic pedagogy of "Making the Italians" (Fare gli Italiani), Risorgimento museums throughout the XIX and the XX century had been staging the pivotal moments of national history, representing therefore palimpsests where official narratives have been intersecting with local memories.

The first goal is to contribute to the cultural and material history of the Risorgimento by proposing an analytical methodology centered on national history collections (collezioni di storia patria). The term “collection” is here understood in the broader framework of "memorie patrie," encompassing documents, bibliographic materials, artworks, prints, relics and memorabilia

Starting with the experience of Temple of the Risorgimento (Tempio del Risorgimento) in Turin in 1884—where the post-unification narrative was publicly displayed for the first time—the study will trace the movement of materials collected from across the peninsula to the subalpine city. These items, once returned to their regions of origin, formed the core of the first Risorgimento museums then established in various locations. The research will proceed with case studies, examining the processes of formation, patrimonialization, valorization, and diverse public uses of these collections. The periodization thus covers the years from the late 19th century to the first half of the 20th century.

The second goal is to carry out a survey of sites where Risorgimento memory has accumulated throughout the peninsula. This mapping effort will result in a database, with georeferenced information displayed on an interactive atlas. The ultimate aim is to develop a unified portal to connect the various centers of Risorgimento heritage: a platform designed primarily to facilitate data sharing and collaboration among institutions, while also supporting researchers. Furthermore, within a public history framework, the platform aims to enhance these collections by building networks and creating themed itineraries to engage broader audiences.