This article navigates the historical landscape of Russian-Italian relations during the 19th century, focusing on areas such as the dynamics of statistics and the construction of economically significant objects against the backdrop of the Risorgimento. At the same time, it emphasizes the importance of statistics in understanding the complex interplay of a range of political, social and economic factors shaping Italian unification era. Cesare Correnti, the Italian statesman, helped lay the groundwork for developing official statistics in the country and provided valuable insights and data that informed policy decisions related to the Risorgimento and contributed to the success of the unification process. Drawing on materials from Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Empire and historical documents, the following research sheds light on the interactions between Russia and Italy, unveiling the intersection of intellectual “cross-pollination” and economic collaborations during a transformative epoch. Alongside this, archival materials analysis reveals the economic underpinnings of Russian-Italian relations during the Risorgimento. Maritime trade emerges as one of the pivotal facets of both states’ commercial interdependencies; the example of the construction of Odessa seaport (1872) is used to describe Russian-Italian co-operation on a number of economic projects. Diplomatic envoys and statesmen from Russia and Italy played a crucial role in negotiating trade agreements and fostering diplomatic relations that facilitated economic interactions and commercial partnerships during the unification period. Overall, the article is thus an analysis of the elements influencing the establishment of Russian-Italian relations in the 19th century, with particular emphasis on statistical data and economic integration in an era of great social and political change.
Irina Kanel (Wed,) studied this question.