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On the highways and byways

Ancient and modern means of transport coexisted in the Alps until the 1950s. Travel was organised according to the lie of the land, the load and type of product. People, ideas and goods covered considerable distances despite natural and political borders. These economic exchanges fostered the development of occupations such as muleteers, pedlars and anchovy merchants.

Peddling

In the seventeenth century, pedlars travelled to even very remote places to sell a range of wares such as books, haberdashery, and kitchen utensils. The development of urban shops in the nineteenth century curbed their trade in the towns, but not in the countryside where they continued their twice-yearly rounds. They went through the same regions, usually in spring and autumn, keeping up a network of friendly and business connections. The impact of peddling as a cultural and commercial phenomenon was long underestimated. Its importance and its influence on the development of contemporary commerce are now recognised.