The Calabrian Liquorice in the European Market of the Nineteenth Century: History, Production and Evolution Through the Knowledge of Some Architectures Along the Ionian Sea Coast

This study examines the historical and architectural evolution of industrial buildings dedicated to the processing of liquorice root, focusing on the international role played by Calabria. We wanted to reconstruct the process that, favoured by a series of favourable conditions, led to identify a type of building dedicated exclusively to this processing, evolved over time in line with the evolution of the market and sales throughout Europe, from wooden huts to masonry structures. Starting from the analysis of agricultural production structures, it was possible to identify typologically new structures as the result of a natural evolutionary process enriched by unique spatial and typological specifications, such as the chimney. The reading of the archival sources was accompanied by the typological reading of some “concio” present in the upper Ionian Calabrese, highlighting recurring and other unique elements.