San Leucio

The historiographical debate on the history of the Mezzogiorno appears to have regained public attention for about a decade now, focusing, however, more on the reasons for the social and economic backwardness of the Mezzogiorno than on its potential and the territorial development model undertaken. Based on these considerations, the results of this work highlight that the events of the Royal Factory of San Leucio can reintroduce a theme usually confined to the most singular aspects of the Bourbon kingdom, but which is actually the most important example of a concentration of investments and public activities in the Mezzogiorno before Unification. San Leucio was a company town in which the function of the workers, called artisans, was central. The analysis reveals how the objective was to achieve an attempt at development free from the principle of wealth accumulation typical of mercantilism, with a project articulated in the economic and social sphere.