ABSTRACT
The theme of autonomy and professionalism forms the context of this exploration of engineers in Italian local government between 1861 and 1939. Studies of municipal employees in general and engineers in particular have been relatively rare in recent Italian historiography. Specialist studies of the Italian engineering profession lack specific analysis on the personnel employed in local government, with one remarkable exception. In post-unification Italy the difficulty involved in defining the role of municipal workers translated into a multiplicity of practices relating to the workplace and conditions. The absolute discretionary power of the local political administrative classes over municipal bureaucracies, at least during the first decade after 1861, led to inconsistency and instability. The development of town planning between the 1900s and 1920s led to institutional and professional conflicts that were related to the ambiguous identity of municipal technicians. The expansion of municipal activities during these years led to the modification of the professional identity of municipal engineers.
