Tra agronomia e amministrazione: Federico Cassitto

To what extent the current negative image of the role and activities of southern «preunitari» public administrators is well based? This article reconstructs the life and activity of one of them: Federico Cassitto (1776-1853). Cassitto held many offices during his life, but the most important was undoubtedly the chairmanship of the «Società Economica» of Principato Ulteriore. His frantic activities, his many initiatives, his capacity to build an effective network of relationships, his originality in modelling and developing that institution suggest that Cassitto played a very interesting and positive role in the economic and cultural context of his province. From this point of view his biography contributes to question the traditional negative interpretation of the public administration in its whole during the bourbon period.