Il sogno di un'opera monumentale: Fonti per la storia d'Albania

Abstract

In 1939, the Centre for Albanian Studies started working on the collection and publication of historical sources dealing with Albania and the Albanian diaspora. Initially intended as a continuation of Thalloczy-Jireček-Šufflay’s “Acta et diplomata”, the work became completely new and independent under the name of “Fonti per la storia d'Albania” (Sources for the history of Albania). An executive committee was appointed for this purpose, and its driving force was undoubtedly Father Giuseppe Valentini, who laid the foundation for the realization of this monumental scientific work. Our paper proposes a reconstruction of all the activities done by the Centre for Albanian Studies for the realization of the work (interrupted by the end of the war and the defeat of the fascist regime), through unpublished material preserved at the Historical Archives of the National Academy of Lincei.