of interest being the Roman question and the relations of Piedmont (now the kingdom of Italy) with Mazzini and the other revolutionaries. In his opinion Italy needed to be unified by means of the Franco-Piedmontese army alone, avoiding any connection with the other armies. He continued to hold that the pope should enjoy nominal sovereignty over Rome with full spiritual independence, with the capital of Italy being established elsewhere but the Romans being Italian citizens. He strongly disapproved of the convention of 1864 between the Italian government and the pope. The last few years of d'Azeglio's life were spent chiefly at his villa of Cannero, where he wrote his own memoirs. He died of fever in Turin on 15 January 1866. Role as politician He played a significant role in the rehabilitation of Piedmont after the chaos of the 1848–49 revolutions. He had a low opinion of the people of Italy, who, he declared, "were 20 percent stupid rascally and bold, 80 percent stupid, honest and timid, and such a people has the government it deserves." He became Prime Minister in 1849, despite a lack of experience or enthusiasm. Bored by debates in Parliament, he had unexpected strengths: He was honest and clear-sighted, widely admired both at home and abroad, displaying wisdom and moderation that were crucial for consolidating the parliamentary system in his kingdom. He convinced the king to accept constitutional government, with the proviso the King could control military and foreign policy without parliamentary interference. Writings and publications Besides a variety of newspaper articles and pamphlets, d'Azeglio's chief works are the two novels Ettore Fieramosca (1833) and Niccolò dei Lapi (1841), as well as a volume of autobiographical memoirs entitled I Miei Ricordi (D'Azeglio Memoirs – p. 1867), a work published after his death, in 1866, but unfortunately incomplete. A quote from his memoirs is "L'Italia è fatta. Restano da fare gli italiani", translated colloquially as "We have made Italy. Now we must make Italians." His landscape paintings influenced Salvatore Mazza and Luigi Riccardi. Memory A prestigious Liceo classico founded in 1831 in his hometown of Turin was later renamed in his honour. The Liceo classico Massimo d'Azeglio has a notable place in Italian history as the alma mater of author Primo Levi, novelist Cesare Pavese, screenwriter Tullio Pinelli, and anti-fascist intellectuals such as publisher Giulio Einaudi (son of future President Luigi Einaudi), Norberto Bobbio, and writer and