Community places and spaces. Introduction

In this introduction we emphasise the importance of places and spaces for the functioning and very existence of communities in the early Middle Ages, highlighting the characteristics of each contribution to the dossier. The introduction, therefore, is divided into two parts (spaces and places) and emphasises the fluidity of spaces and places for the development of urban and rural communities, also considering the difference between the latter and the public commune excavated on the Valli curtis, in southern Tuscany.