ABSTRACT
In Italy there have been and there are streams of thought and practices that can be considered coherent with the approach of the two architects of economic development here considered. However, it is not possible to consider them here because increasing specialization makes it difficult to pin down polyvalent figures such as Cattaneo and Columbo. Nonetheless, there are some men who in some respect have the same stature of Cattaneo and/or Colombo in the sense that they made remarkable political contributions acting in their sectorial professionalism. As a man of the Risorgimento, Cattaneo believed that the modernization of Italy could be realized by absorbing Italian culture and material needs within a European and even an international context. Civilizing process or Incivilimento was the core of Cattaneo's thoughts and actions. Cattaneo's designs for economic development were specifically aimed at Lombardy but they can and must be placed in a more general framework.
