The great transition? Victualling systems and grain markets in the Italian Peninsula between the 18th and 19th centuries

This contribution intends to identify the features of the wheat market in the Italian peninsula at the end of the ancien régime and to highlight persistence and breaks with the industrial era. The choice of the Italian case is justified for several reasons: on the supply side, the peninsula presented a very differentiated agricultural scenario, capable of triggering different grain (and also wheat) trading and consumption circuits; its geographical location made it, in part, a place of transit and landing for grain, especially from the Black Sea area. Four related aspects have been investigated: the link between the cultural debate on free trade, the victualling system and the role of cities (paragraphs 1 and 2), the reasons for the persistence of the old system in the 19th century and relations with the trade policies of the States, with special focus on Central Italy (paragraph 3), the changes in wheat circuits and consumption dynamics (paragraph 4). Conclusions follow (paragraph 5).