Palaces, shops and clientage clustering in Early Modern Siena

The article considers the socio-economic «life» of palaces in Early Modern Siena. Starting out from a consideration of the fortified urban castle (castellare), around which were articulated economic and patronage power relations between magnate families and their clients, friends and neighbours, this study sets out to answer the question of how this architectural and social relationship came to be expressed in later periods. The study focuses on shops that often formed a part of the ground floor of these palaces, and the relationship that existed between their owners and the tenant merchants and artisans that occupied them.