Lo sport nell’Enciclopedia italiana

The three volumes of Storia degli sport edited by Andrea Franzoni constitute the first attempt in Italy to produce a general study on the history of athletics. The work was published in the midst of the Fascist dictatorship and could not fail to be influenced by the political context, so much so that many of its parts are characterised by a nationalistic approach and a desire to highlight the successes, real or presumed, of the regime's sports policy. However, being aimed at a more restricted audience than other publications, the Storia dello sport does not merely repeat the most common theses that appeared in the newspapers, but also proposes more realistic and well-founded considerations. Today, the work is all but forgotten, but it can be a very useful source for those studying sport during the Fascist period, as it provides a clear understanding of the ideas on athleticism that circulated in the regime