This review of recent Italian publications on the public use of antiquity in post-unification Italy pays particular attention to the myths of romanità during the Fascist era. Significant changes in the historiographical debate in recent decades are highlighted, including the fact that the study of antiquity has become a privileged means of understanding broader political, cultural and social processes relating to the legitimisation of power, the role of images and exhibitions, urban space and the importance attributed to architecture, archaeology and art. The discussion on the public uses of antiquity and the myths of romanità reveals the many
complexities of this issue, from the protagonists via the tools used to transmit history to the lines of continuity and rupture between liberal Italy, Fascist Italy and republican Italy.