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. An earlier name for this tobacco factory was Imperia Regia Manifattura d'Austria-Ungheria (translation: Imperial and Royal Tobacco Manufacturing of the Austro-Hungarian Empire). Origins 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. Borgo Sacco was situated in the middle of an area dedicated to tobacco cultivation. 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. The total cost of the project was enormous: 175.000 crowns. Borgo Sacco provided the land and the materials, but even nearby Rovereto participated by donating 4,000 florins and potable water equivalent to 1,600 florins. The mechanical power needed to move the machines came from a water wheel moved by an underground water channel that passed through the factory. The construction work on the Borgo Sacco Royal Tobacco Factory began in the same year. The factory was built on the plans of engineer Latzel of the Viena public works administration and the construction was directed by Giovanni Smith e Giovanni Rezzori. Start of production The Manifattura began production in 1854–1855 with two laboratories of 220 workers each. Production began around four products: the Virginia cigar, sniffing tobacco, tobacco extract made from residues, and hand-rolled cigarettes (This was an experimental product that was quickly dropped). Before the First World War (1914–1918) the cigar plan was one of the most important in Austria, especially renowned for its production of Virginia cigars. For several decades, the Manifattura Tabacchi was one of the most important industries in Trentino, with the highest employment capacity around. It was also a place of many social innovations, often begun by women workers who were in the majority. The first employer provided nursery was established, as