Località storiche sovracomunali. Qualche esempio e problema suggeriti dallo schedario storico-territoriale dei comuni piemontesi

With over 1,200 municipalities (comuni), the Piedmont Region of northwestern Italy ranks first nationwide both in numbers and in density of local administrative units by comparison with the country’s other Regions (Regioni). A project entitled Historical and Territorial Dictionary of the Municipalities of Piedmont (Schedario storico-territoriale dei comuni piemontesi) is being conducted jointly by the Universities of Genoa, Turin and Eastern Piedmont under the auspices of the Piedmont Regional administration. The project’s scope is to assemble a large database of historical information for each municipality, drawing largely from original archival records as well as from secondary sources. The object is to track the timing of change in each municipality’s organizational profile as viewed through the historical record. This article attempts to trace the contours of four aggregate sets of municipalities according to distinct patterns of late-medieval and early-modern historical indicators, including the organizational impact of state taxation, commerce and trade routes, internal conflict, and specific cultural traits (i.e. religious affiliation). Cumulatively, a large body of evidence points to the importance of local organizational profiles and processes as playing a crucial role in determining long-term region-wide administrative arrangements.