Resumen

CORTESE, Luis O. Religiosos viajeros: el Padre Giovacchino Geroni (o.f.m.) en Chile (1920-1922). Universum [online]. 2006, vol.21, n.1, pp. 120-137. ISSN 0718-2376.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-23762006000100008.

The Franciscan Giovacchino Geroni visits Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Brazil between August 1920 and February 1922 in order to raise money for the Italians blinded by the war, describing that journey in Il mio viaggio nel Sudamerica, book published towards 1923. A subsidiary desire - the survival or the strengthening of the idea of Italianhood among them - does not appear to be a concern in the Chilean stage of the tour. The immigrants he deals with there appear integrated to the new fatherland, although they show interest by the problems of its native country. He highlights the supposedly "innnate" virtues of its fellow countrymen applied to the fulfillment of an immanent "mission", as well as the wealth and landscapes of the territory. We emphasize its modern vision of the value of the mass media: he turns to cinema to strengthen his task. It arises as a hypothesis, if among the implicit intentions of the journey, was not that of espionage, which he had already made for Italy in China towards 1900. We did not find any references concerning Chile's domestic policy, ruled by Arturo Alessandri, an attitude repeated in the other countries he visits. Institutionally he only contacts consular agents, religious orders and Italian institutions and not local authorities

Palabras llave : Travelling  Priests; Italian immigrants; Important personages; Fascism; Wealth; Landscapes.