Manifattura Tabacchi

In the 1800s, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire controlled the territories of the upper Adige valley in northern Italy, a tobacco plant was built in the town of Borgo Sacco, now part of the city of Rovereto.

The decision to build a tobacco factory in Borgo Sacco (a former city new incorporated into Rovereto, Province of Trento, Italy) began in the middle of the 1800s in the context of a high level of unemployment resulting from a crisis in the silk production sector.

The cultivation and processing of tobacco had begun toward the end of the 1500s around so called "masere", a form of centralized farming.

With the construction of the Borgo Sacco plant, the surrounding area of Vallagarina became strongly oriented to manufacturing.

On March 20, 1851, an agreement was signed between the Austrian Royal Ministry of Finance and the Municipality of Sacco headed by Antonio Gasperini.

During World War I, Manifattura Tabacchi was heavily damaged and production, including employees, was transferred to Austrian factories in Linz and in Bohemia.

At the end of the war, Trentino province became part of Italy and Manifattura Tabacchi came under the direction of the state monopoyi.

In the same years, the popularity of the Manifattura Tabacchi grew considerably thanks to promotional activities using the designs of Fortunato Depero, the celebrated artist from Rovereto.

It is a private company held by Trentino Sviluppo, the economic development agency of the Province of Trento.