Despite the pioneering work of Eugène Bouvy (Voltaire et l’Italie, 1908), the influence of Voltaire on Italian culture, both in he eighteenth century and after, is still largely uncharted. A recent anthology, entitled Voltaire cattolico, revisits Voltaires’ relationship with our country. If the hypothesis of a catholic Voltaire is untenable, the reconstructions of his exchanges with leading Italian catholics - including pope Benedict XIV - throws light on Voltaire’s brand of Deism, on the different forms of his writings and on other historiographical questions.
Keywords: Voltaire, Enlightenment, Italy, religion, Roman Catholicism, deism, theism.