First published in 1988

This is a collection of works where the Mediterranean provides the context for all the cities which appear in this volume: all are (or have been) port cities, and as such their harbours played a significant role in shaping their histories.

In essence, the question of interaction between man and sea is one of the influence of the maritime position on the human communities constituting the ‘Mediterranean cities’: the connections between them, and the link of each city with its hinterland, as well as the influence of its position on the city’s internal development and character.