Early Modern Italy: A Social History is a fascinating survey of society in Italy from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century - from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. The early modern period was an exciting phase in the history of Italy, with the emergence of great artists, sculptors, architects and the flowering of culture generally. However, during this period Italy was not one coherent political unit, but was divided into many different states. Such divisions affected the population economically, socially and linguistically, but this social history considers patterns across these divisions, and contrasts within states. Early Modern Italy covers the whole of the Italian peninsula from the Venetian Republic, Milan and Florence, to Rome, Naples and the rural Italy of Calabria and Campagna. It spans a multitude of themes, including: the effects of geography on population and social developments the relationship between urban and rural Italy land systems, agriculture and rural communities.