I’d like to point out some of the main regions and cities on which the research is focused, starting from Livorno/Leghorn, the main focus area.
Leghorn position in the Mediterranean Sea
The Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Lion (click to zoom)
The most significant event at the origin of the population of Leghorn by foreign merchants is the emanation of the “Livornine” laws and Constitution by the Grand Duke of Tuscany Ferdinando I dé Medici between 1590 and 1603. These laws made Leghorn a free-port (duty-free zone) and attracted a great number of merchants who were also granted freedom of religion and amnesty. The 1593 Constitution was purposedly addressed to Jews but its effects regarded all kinds of merchants (Dutch, English, French, Greeks, Raguseans, Armenians, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish…).
(work in progress)
Leghorn Merchant Networks 
I just want to let you know what a great job this is. You have the support of my family.
Litia Simpson
Thank you very much for this most interesting blog, which I have just discovered. Already it has helped me in some research on the English merchant community in Leghorn in the 17th century.
Gratefully – Aline Hornaday