Women, religion and associativism: the aristocratic origins of the National Council of Italian Women, 1903–1908

The National Council of Italian Women (CNDI—Consiglio Nazionale delle Donne Italiane), founded in Rome in 1903, was affiliated with the International Council of Women (ICW) which was created in Washington DC in 1888, in order ‘to stimulate the sentiment of internationalism among women throughout the world’ and aimed to bring together the maximum number of women’s associations in each country. This article analyses the origins of the CNDI, highlighting the role played by aristocratic women in its foundation—a social composition that made the Italian case a paradigmatic one compared to other national councils of women in southern Europe. A focus on the aristocratic component of the CNDI provides new insights into this voluntary association which organised its first congress in 1908. This congress is a key moment to explore the discourses of its aristocratic leaders regarding religion and to show their understanding of various issues confronting Italian women. The study of the individual trajectories of these women, and the personal links between them sheds light on their motivations and demonstrates how they succeeded or failed in their various initiatives.