The topic contado is discussed in the following articles:     •
TITLE: Italy     SECTION: The rise of communes     ...people,
craftsmen, and merchants. Elsewhere, local circumstances
dictated other alliances. During the period in which the cities
were expanding their power into the contado (the region
surrounding the city), elements drawn from town and countryside
continually struggled for control of the commune. Alliances
shifted depending on the success or failure...  Middle Ages    •
TITLE: history of Europe     SECTION: Urban growth  Renaissance
Italy    • TITLE: history of Europe     SECTION: Urban growth