The Trecchi: Marginalised Merchants of Medieval Florence

Trecchi, both men and women, were among medieval Florence’s lowest-capitalized merchants. Trecchi, also termed trecconi, triccoli and other related terms, were marginalized traders who operated at the borders of Florence’s vibrant commercial environment. Trecchi hawked produce and other low-cost foods in various locations around the city and outside of the urban walls. They engaged in resales within or outside of the city. The trecchi were a constant concern for front-running retail businesses and for health concerns over resold food. They were a potential, and thus curbed, economic threat to more established merchants. Trecchi were a defined group; yet, they were not part of the guild environment, nor were they a core part of the Florentine economy. The government monitored them closely and confined their activities. Trecchi were often prohibited from market appearances or sales. They were tolerated at some level, and were ubiquitous and readily itinerant based on Florence’s communal statutes and other contemporary documents. Despite their marginal economic status, the Florentine government taxed trecchi revenues and subjected them to the myriads of gate, transportation and other gabelles or indirect taxes. Ultimately, the trecchi were a phenomenon in a highly organized market society.