Abstract
The book presents a new, modern treatment of the theme of trade contacts between Prague and Italy on the threshold of the early modern period (1500-1620). The bilateral trade between Prague and Italy is presented in a broader context, which clearly shows that Prague and the Czech lands were an integral part of the (Central) European market at that time.
The publication captures not only the daring journeys of Prague's Christian and Jewish merchants to sunny Italy, but also Italian entrepreneurs who, on the contrary, penetrated into Europe north of the Alps for new opportunities during the 16th century, which were offered to them especially in Rudolphine Prague. The book follows the fates of these most important Italian immigrants of the Rudolphine period, who worked both in the towns of Prague and at the imperial court.
At the same time, it tells the fate of Italian Jewish wholesalers and bankers, including the first nobilitated Jew, Jakub Bassevi of Treuenburg and his extended family.