How unified was Italy in the period 1871-1914?

By 1871 Italy had come into being as a legally unified country. Disparate states and kingdoms were brought together under one unified legislative and executive body. This question examines the extent to which Italy can be considered a culturally unified entity in the four decades running up to the outbreak of war in 1914. Massimo d'Azeglio, an Italian minister, wrote in 1866 that 'we have made Italy; now we must make Italians.' An analysis of this question must consider the social and cultural unity of Italy, as well as exploring whether the new republic's economy brought the nation together or highlighted the divide between disparate regions. The government policy of Italianita should be examined, and Benedict Anderson's arguments in Imagined Communities offer good insights into the role of the national press in creating an Italian consciousness, in particular with regard to new forms of leisure pursuits such as cycling and football.