Orvieto and Bagnoregio in the XIV century – a case study on city and countryside in Late Medieval Italy

Abstract The aim of this article is to examine the interactions among main cities and the rural communities subordinate to them in central Italy during Late Middle Age. Premise of my work is the refusal of the assumption that cities and towns interacted between them as a whole. I choose Orvieto and its subordinate town of Bagnoregio in 1303 and 1304 as case study to enlighten that parties and faction based in the city and in the town interacted in ways that it is impossible to reduce to the dichotomy master- servant: this links as a whole shaped the dialogue between the city and its subordinates.