The subject of the presence of foreigners in Europe in the medieval and early modern periods has attracted major scholarly attention since the 1950s with the argument that the expansion of the Mediterranean was based on the circulation of people and goods. Many scholars have accounted for the success of these traders not only by using economic rationales (company organization, business techniques and innovation) but also with reference to shared origin and religion, which ensured close links, mutual support and frequent exchanges of information.

In the wake of these interpretations and giving space to intercultural relations, the issue of economic actors in foreign lands has recently been taken up once again, with work focusing on merchant communities and networks in a range of European and extra-European contexts. Italian, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Indian Ocean communities have been analysed in studies that have focused largely on the informal rules underlying the functioning of economic networks scattered over the various areas.

This essay is part of this research trend, and also part of a broader analysis which attempts to reinterpret the organizational choices and commercial penetration strategies used by the Datini group abroad in terms of their effectiveness. My research has essentially focused on at least two fundamental issues: company structure (company form, capital invested, quality of human capital in the various decision-making levels) and the characteristics of the network created by the group.