«In 1895, in a damp old sacristy in Mompiano…». The image of the Agazzi infant school on Italian national television

Abstract

This study examines the documentary Il significato attuale del metodo
agazziano [The Contemporary Meaning of the Agazzi Method], broadcast by Rai in 1979.
After outlining the key stages in the early childhood education experiment conducted in
Brescia by the sisters Rosa and Carolina Agazzi, with the support of their mentor Pietro
Pasquali, the research reviews the historical backdrop to the decision to use television
to introduce the Agazzis’ educational project to a wider and more diverse audience than
that previously targeted by the specialist literature. Further analysis is devoted to how the
television program presented and interpreted this piece of national history, and how it
proved largely successful in bridging the gap between past and present. Overall, the study
draws out the vivid image of the Agazzi infant school conveyed by the documentary while
prompting reflection on various aspects of school memory.