From the atlantic to rialto. Notes on the eighteenth-century sugar trade in venice|Dall’atlantico a rialto. Note sul commercio dello zucchero a venezia nel settecento

Manufactured by the exploitation of mil-lions of African slaves, sugar flows from the Atlantic into Europe to finish its refin-ing process and increasingly become a mass consumer product. Mediterranean ports are also part of this production chain as centres of import, processing and consumption. In spite of its rel-ative decline, Venice is perfectly integrated within the 18th century sugar production chain. This article aims to analyse the role of the lagoon city as a marketplace for the trade, processing and distribution of sugar and refined products during the eighteenth century. Starting from the French interest in the Venetian outlet market, the analysis will focus on the import trade, showing which were the international suppliers of Venice.