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ACTIVITIES

The Fondazione Istituto Internazionale di Storia Economica "F. Datini", established on the initiative of the economic historians Federigo Melis and Fernand Braudel, aims to promote scientific research, the exchange of expertise, and methodological innovation in the economic and social history of Europe and the Mediterranean.

Areas of Intervention and Research

  • 1. Scientific Activities and Conferences

    • The "Study Weeks" (Settimane di Studi).
      They are the core of the Foundation's scientific activities. Held annually in Prato in May since 1969, they address central topics of the pre-industrial economy in a monographic format (e.g., credit markets, risk management, social mobility, craft guilds).

    • Research Grants and Prizes.
      Promotion of scholarships and international awards (such as the Human Solvency Historical Research Prize) aimed at supporting historical investigation on topics related to finance, money, and solvency.

  • 2. Advanced Training for Young Researchers

    • Datini-ESTER Advanced Seminar.
      Developed in collaboration with the European ESTER network (Economic and Social Historical Research) and the N.W. Posthumus Institute, this is an English-language residential course designed for PhD students and young international researchers to refine their dissertation projects.

  • 3. Editorial Production

    The Foundation boasts the publication of 9 book series, including for example:


  • 4. Archival and Library Heritage

    • Specialized Library.
      Collection of specialized international texts, monographs, and journals on economic history between the 13th and 18th centuries.

    • Archives
      Conservation, reorganization, digitization, and enhancement of the archival heritage.

      • Federigo Melis Archive.
        The Melis Fund, declared of cultural interest under the Cultural Heritage Code, preserves the immense documentary and research heritage of the economic historian Federigo Melis, founder of the Datini Institute, later Foundation. The fund was the subject of a coordinated digital preservation, indexing, and scientific enhancement project.

        • Digitization
          • Study and Research Cards.
            Scanning and indexing of a collection of over 14,000 working cards containing excerpts from unpublished 14th-16th century archival sources (from the Datini Archive, as well as Florentine, Pisan, and Venetian funds).

          • Postcard Collection.
            Complete digital reproduction of 16,463 vintage postcards (1933-1973), preliminary to the creation of a platform featuring thematic search and geolocation.

          • Internet Archive.
            Global, open-access uploading and sharing of part of the archive's collections and documents.

        • Databases
          • "Navigare" Project.
            Through international synergies between the Datini Institute, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, and the State Archives of Prato, supported by the Ministry of Culture: an online database based on the Melis cards for the reconstruction of maritime voyages, markets, and ships in the Mediterranean and North Sea between the 14th and 16th centuries.

          • Wine Labels Collection.
            Database accessible on the web and on Internet Archive dedicated to the iconographic wine archive collected by the historian.

        • Outreach Works and Virtual Exhibitions
          Created with the MoViO CMS platform within the European project AthenaPlus, pursuant to the cooperation agreement signed between the Foundation and ICCU.
        • Multimedia Consultation
          On-site and remote digital access to photographic and paper collections for scholars and users.

      • Borsini Archive.
        The Borsini Fund, declared of particularly important historical interest in 2021 and acquired between 2018 and 2020, contains the records of the Prato family of the same name, owners of the "Pietro Borsini e figli" candle and soap factory active between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries. The heritage, comprising a total of 867 ledgers, is divided into two main sections: business management (228 items), including accounting, journals, invoices, and specialized technical ledgers related to the processing of olein, sulfur oil, and glycerin; and land administration, composed of 612 sharecropping account books and 27 balance books concerning the family's agricultural properties.

      • Franceschini Archive.
        The Archive of the Franceschini Company, a historic enterprise in San Piero a Ponti active in the production and trade of straw braids and hats from 1820 to 1936, represents a testimony of great significance for the industrial history of the Florentine area. Declared of particularly important historical interest in 1999, the fund was partially reorganized and inventoried in 2004, before officially becoming part of the heritage of the "F. Datini" Foundation following a donation in 2024.
        The collection includes over 880 archival units dating from 1858 to 1936 — including accounting records, correspondence, blueprints, photographs, and employee registers — alongside vintage machinery. Besides illustrating factory life, the documentation attests to the firm's extensive global commercial network (spanning Europe, Russia, and the Americas) and the dynamics that led to its closure in the 1930s economic crisis after over a century of activity.


  • 5. Outreach and Community Value

    • Exhibitions.
      Organization of documentary exhibitions aimed at highlighting the economic, mercantile, and textile history of the city of Prato and the broader Italian context.

    • Cultural Initiatives
      Design and promotion of public lectures, conferences, seminars, and book launches. A continuous commitment to rediscovering Prato's manufacturing legacy and mercantile tradition, tracing the historical links between the territory's productive identity and the broader dynamics of European economic development, with the aim of bringing to light the historical value of documentary sources from the Prato region and the "F. Datini" Foundation.

    • Educational Projects.
      Collaboration with local authorities for the creation of educational workshops designed for schools.
      Through direct contact with historical sites, archival documents, and material sources, we transform the study of history, science, and culture into a hands-on adventure.
      As part of its commitment to the territory and youth education, the Foundation promotes educational programs dedicated to financial literacy and economic awareness. Combining historical rigor, innovative teaching methodologies, and gamified tools — such as historical-themed simulations and role-playing games —, these initiatives actively engage secondary school students. Conducted both within school curricula and through local and national tournaments and workshops (in collaboration with major institutional bodies such as the Bank of Italy), these activities aim to foster critical thinking and equip new generations with the tools needed to understand and navigate complex contemporary financial contexts.


Stay Updated and Discover Our Reports

All our initiatives are promptly communicated through the News section of the website, official social media channels ("X" and "Facebook"), and the newsletter "Il Datini".
To consult our annual planning and achieved results in detail, we invite you to visit our Transparency Section, where the programmatic reports of planned activities and summary reports of completed activities are published each year.

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