Aporti is credited with starting Italian infant education, opening his first school in 1827 in Lombardy, which was then ruled by Austria. This paper discusses Aporti's educational views, his career, the spread of Italian infant schools and, particularly, reactions of the government and the church to Aporti and his movement. (SJL)

One of the major changes in educational practices occurred during the Italian Renaissance, when a system of pre-university education based on a thorough grounding in the Latin, and to a lesser extent, the Greek classics began. This change started in early 15th century northern Italy and lasted until well into the 20th century. Italian school…