Italy, at that time still to be realized as a united state, offered its support not only for the common independence aspirations of many who were induced to go across the Adriatic but also by working on the territory of the individual states that composed it, on multiple fronts.

To those who went to Greece out of vocation or exile, many from the peninsula offered political, logistical, and cultural support, thanks to the centuries-old exchange that was already in place with the Greeks who frequented our cities, our universities, our societies, fostering an economic and cultural exchange that was, on this occasion, a fertile ground for collaboration and solidarity.

The essays presented here address topics, events, and figures that we deemed significant in an attempt to at least hint at the extent of Italian involvement. We intentionally did not dwell on military issues as they often represent only the final act of political and intellectual pathways, but the contributors have emphasized the multiple forms and directions in which support developed.

Thus, alongside the more humble but no less important collaborations offered by the many – more or less unknown – in the ports and cities, we find the works of figures like Vincenzo Gallina and Alerino Palma di Cesnola, who were not only rewarded but held prestigious positions in the emerging kingdom of Greece, or like Giuseppe Chiappe, who from Hydra provided information for a long time, or Giovanni Romey, a pioneering spy who informed the Committee of Zante from the Ottoman ranks.

No less important were Porro Lambertenghi and Giacinto Provana di Collegno, who not only kept the philhellenic sentiment alive in the homeland but traveled to Greece to give voice to the events. Or the countless doctors who offered their services.