Una città benevola? Notabili, filantropia e circuito municipale dell'assistenza e della beneficenza in Firenze capitale

The paper analyses the methods of reaction and adaptation by the the ruling class in respect to arrival of the capital city and the social change induced. The tradition of “moral economy” and “educational charity”, typical of philanthropy, must confront with a situation of endemic poverty but also with the opportunities arising from the new public administrative responsibilities for assistance and beneficence. Florence as a capital city and its social action are a litmus test of the power and the plasticity of the moderate liberals government.