3 THE ITALIAN LAW JOURNAL NO. 2 (2017) Carlo Cattaneo and Gaetano Salvemini: The Modernity of their Federalism by Erika Arban Federalism and federal solutions in Italy have never enjoyed much popularity, although they have been discussed at different times as viable solutions for a country fragmented along socio-economic and linguistic lines. This mistrust can be partially explained by the fact that federalism has been often misunderstood and construed as synonymous with division and disintegration of the territory. In this specific context, Carlo Cattaneo and Gaetano Salvemini have emerged as two brilliant intellectuals and strenuous advocates of federalism for Italy, although they did so at different times and from different perspectives. Building upon primary and secondary sources, this article distills and compares the federal ideas of both thinkers, while at the same time emphasizing the modernity of their criticism and consequent solutions for Italy. DOI 10.23815/2421-2156.ITALJ ISSN 2421-2156
