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Clark 2012, p. 212). These changes are relevant to the introduction of canning in the late 19
century. New property rights and social ties arose, including the frequent acquisition of
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tonnare by private individuals (Longo & Clark 2012, p. 214). By the middle of the 17
century the Crown no longer held control of the tonnare in Sicily (Marrone 1986 cited in
Longo & Clark 2012, p. 213). Merchant capitalists, mainly Genovese bankers, often
purchased tonnare that were not controlled by the Catholic Church. For example, Phillip IV
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sold the Egadi Islands , including the tonnare of Favignana and Formica in 1637, in his
efforts to raise funds to pay for a long series of wars. The Genovese merchant Camillo
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Pallavicino purchased the tonnare for 63,000 onze (La Mantia 1901, Lentini 1986 cited in
Longo 2012, p. 213). In Sardinia in 1654 Phillip IV sold the tonnare to a Genovese man
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(Emery 2010, p. 8). Since the late 18 century to this day, the Greco family from Genova
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have owned the tonnara at San Pietro .
Under the new capitalist model of ownership the transition to canneries was
inevitable. It coincided with the unification of Italy in the 1860s, marking a passage from the
Ancient Régime aristocratic society to the post-Unity liberal society (Vecchio 2012, p. 102).
Operations were restructured as owners sought to increase productivity (Longo & Clark
2012, p. 213). For example, in 1841 Vincent Florio took over the running of the tonnare in
Favignana and Formica (Vecchio 2012, p. 102). The Florio family was one of the wealthiest
dynasties in the island’s history and after unification became the most influential family in
western Sicily (Longo & Clark 2012, p. 213). The family industrialised tuna production by
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developing the first large-scale canning facility on Favignana in the late 19 century (Lentini
1986).
Many locals in Favignana speak of Florio with affection. Sitting in the back of
Michaele Tammaro’s preserved tuna shop in Favignana, I listen to him recount the story of
his family business and of Florio, while we taste an assortment of products and drink wine.
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