The Roman “mercanti di campagna”. Profiles and Trajectories of a ParadoxicalModernization (1789-1849) Abstract The figure of the “mercanti di campagna” never ceased to intrigue observers and travellers crossing the Roman States throughout the nineteenth century. As tenants and operators of the immense estates belonging to the Church and the aristocracy, some of them acquired substantial fortunes by becoming property owners, and then entering the cursus honorum of the Papal States – many, it must be noted, passing from one political regime to another without great inconvenience, Among the most interesting questions concerning these men lies in the motivations behind their social and political journey. Indeed, they are sometimes described as the most powerful checks on efforts to modernize agriculture in the Roman states or, conversely, as a dynamic and entrepreneurial form of the bourgeoisie. For those who managed to establish themselves, or even prosper financially after the Republican or Imperial periods, this article will examine the means of such social ascension. Finally, what kind of modernization would they bring in the long term ?