This book and catalogue of the exhibition entitled “Eleonora Duse. Journey round the world” reassesses and illustrates to a wider public the various sides of the celebrated Italian actress: the woman, all-round artist, entrepreneur and self-promoter, and influential personality acclaimed on the international cultural scene in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Thanks to recent studies and documents published here for the first time, Duse can be seen as a totally independent artist and also as a founding figure who participated in the forging of the image of Italian culture to be exported abroad. What is highlighted is not only the theatrical career of the great actress, but more generally the social and civil history of post-unity Italy. In this context she was one of the “legends” adopted in the arduous search for a national identity and, significantly, she entertained relationships of mutual esteem and friendship with leading figures in contemporary international culture. The book describes the many greatly acclaimed tours worldwide –  she always performed in Italian –  from South to North America, Russia and throughout Europe.