Aspetti strutturali e funzionali del commercio in area alpina. Alcune riflessioni a partire dal caso tirolese

In the last decades, a large literature has investigated the history of commerce in the Alpine space, thus providing substantial information on the nature and direction of commercial flows from, towards and across the Alps. By combining evidence from a few general studies over the Alpine trade in the medieval and early modern periods, and a large amount of research on specific areas or passes, we can try to offer a synthetic view of this phenomenon. After providing a brief state of the art, this essay attempts to develop an analytical approach to investigating the Alpine trade during the pre-industrial age by highlighting its structural and functional aspects. To this end, the research will focus on the commercial relationships between the Alpine space and the pre-Alpine areas as well as the more distant regions, by exploring two major issues. First, the size of trade flows and their variations across time and space; second, the composition of flows, namely the types of goods, their origins and destination and the transport routes. The proposal is to distinguish three different types of flows: the inflow of goods, particularly cereals, necessary to meet the needs of the Alpine population; the outflow of products deriving from the exploitation of the resources of the Alps; and the transit trade generated by the interplay between demand and supply outside of the Alps. A first application to the Tyrolean case raises some key points and highlights some relevant factors, such as the demographic trend, and the location of the land at different altitudes, with the ensuing consequences on the types of crops and availability of resources typical of the mountains (timber, mineral ores). Moreover, the analysis must take account of the role of the urban centers at the foot of the Alps as receivers of raw materials and providers of manufacturing goods. With regard to the transit trade, particularly important are the complementarities and specializations between different regions outside of the Alps, and the differences between the Alpine passes in terms of accessibility, and of availability of material and immaterial infrastructures that contributed to reducing transportation and transaction costs. Finally, special attention must be also devoted to the impact of trade on a multitude of economic actors (merchants, shipping houses, carriers, etc.) who earned their income, or part of it, from the Alpine commerce.