The handwritten newsletters of Bologna are, unlike the gazette and news pamphlets, the only means of information available at the beginning of the 18th century, to find out what was happening in the city. Without being focused on court news, the newsletters covered a wide variety of topics and were aimed at a local readership. The collection considered includes the years 1716-1729, and has never been analyzed from the point of view of the Media History. This study analyzes the newsletters in their main characteristics, without disregarding the conceptual frameworks of Habermas and Anderson, among others.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5944/etfiv.36.2023.37301