Urbanisation and the Italian Economy during the last Millennium

This article provides an overview of Italian urbanisation which may help in distinguishing the main phases of Italian economic history. In this millennium, three epochs can be singled out: from the tenth century to Fourteenth;from Fourteenth to 1860-70;and from 1870 until today. While the first phase is characterised by slow progress and the third by massive urbanisation, the intermediate phase saw declining urbanisation. A strong connection exists, in these periods, between urbanisation and the productivity of the Italian economic system. By looking at Italian history from the perspective of urbanisation, we can draw a different picture from the one prevailing in recent literature on the subject.