Medici, passeggeri e migranti a bordo dei grandi transatlantici tra le due guerre mondiali

Launched in 1925 and remaining in service until 1960, the ocean liner Conte Biancamano was among the principal protagonists in the history of Italian maritime navigation during the first half of the twentieth century. Reconstructing the trajectory of this vessel affords a distinctive insight into several of the century’s most significant phases: the golden age of transoceanic travel, when it operated on the North and South American routes serving passengers across all classes; the Fascist period, during which it voyaged to East Africa, India, and China; the Second World War, when it was requisitioned for the transport of American military personnel; and the post-war years, when it became the first passenger ship to be refitted in Italy. Upon its decommissioning in 1960, the then National Museum of Science and Technology acquired the ship’s bridge, ballroom, and several cabins, which are now preserved in the Aeronaval Pavilion. The multiple lives of the Biancamanoare examined in this volume through the contributions of scholars from diverse disciplines—including maritime history, economic and industrial history, labour history, and museology—thus enriching research into the historical and social contexts of which this ocean liner constitutes both a material and symbolic testimony.