In the late Middle Ages, Italy was one of the most urbanized areas in Europe. Its coasts, the Apennines, the perialpine area and the plains were all home to a large number of smaller towns, lands, villages, castra, and 'quasi cites'. These settlements were all very diverse in terms of demographic consistency, social articulation and economic dynamism, but together they constituted a characteristic and constitutive element of the Italian historical identity: an 'original personality'. This volume, thanks to some framing essays and a mapping of individual cases involving most of the northern, central and southern regions, aims at investigating the active research on this topic over the last thirty to forty years.

In the late Middle Ages, Italy was one of the most urbanized areas in Europe. Its coasts, the Apennines, the perialpine area and the plains were all home to a large number of smaller towns, lands, villages, castra, and 'quasi cites'. These settlements were all very diverse in terms of demographic consistency, social articulation and economic dynamism, but together they constituted a characteristic and constitutive element of the Italian historical identity: an 'original personality'. This volume, thanks to some framing essays and a mapping of individual cases involving most of the northern, central and southern regions, aims at investigating the active research on this topic over the last thirty to forty years.

Between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, the elites (secular and ecclesiastical) of the many villages, castles, smaller urban centres that make the Italian landscape so unique, started to deeply rethink the past of their "small homeland". Roman (but also pre-Roman) heritage and medieval tradition are at the centre of interest; bold "inventions" and manipulations alternate with searches for a solid erudite structure. The essays published here concern the Italian regions of Piedmont, Romagna, Emilia, Tuscany, Marche, Umbria, Terra di Bari, Campania. In the essays, a strong sense of identity and a robust self-awareness emerges; ultimately, this is the vitality of a connective tissue of settlements featuring an "original character" relevant in the Italian historical events from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, the elites (secular and ecclesiastical) of the many villages, castles, smaller urban centres that make the Italian landscape so unique, started to deeply rethink the past of their "small homeland". Roman (but also pre-Roman) heritage and medieval tradition are at the centre of interest; bold "inventions" and manipulations alternate with searches for a solid erudite structure. The essays published here concern the Italian regions of Piedmont, Romagna, Emilia, Tuscany, Marche, Umbria, Terra di Bari, Campania. In the essays, a strong sense of identity and a robust self-awareness emerges; ultimately, this is the vitality of a connective tissue of settlements featuring an "original character" relevant in the Italian historical events from the Middle Ages to the present day.

From the tenth century on, technical and technological advancements in agriculture resulted in an unprecedented growth of cultivated land in Europe, which would contribute to a progressive integration of markets. This economic drive occurred during a time of profound political, social, and religious change. In certain parts of Europe, citystates emerged to become the standard form of polity, breaking away from previous ruling models and thrusting a new era of urban life and economic development. This period was also marked by the zenith of Islam throughout the Middle East, the Maghreb, and the Iberian Peninsula, with its people revolutionising agricultural production. Through specific case studies, this book aims to understand how these pieces of the medieval economy worked and evolved, how distinctive they were from one region to another, and what consequences local, regional, and international trade have had in people’s everyday lives.