Premessa

This paper analyses the content of a volume that brings together eight studies on maritime trade, its practices and its actors in different historical periods and geographical contexts, from the late Middle Ages to the 19th century. Adopting an economic-historical approach, the contributions focus on the actual practices of maritime trade and strategies developed to manage uncertainty and risk. Particular attention is paid to trade networks and maritime routes, understood as dynamic and evolving structures shaped by interpersonal relationships and institutional frameworks. The essays also examine financial, contractual, administrative and health instruments as operational tools that regulate maritime trade. Rather than proposing a unified interpretative model, the volume offers a plurality of case studies that highlight both the continuities and transformations in the organisation of maritime trade over the long term.