Sa Manifattura

The building of the former tobacco factory of Cagliari is situated in Viale Regina Margherita and it played an important role in the history of Cagliari for many centuries.

Towards the end of the fifteenth century, the Observant Friars chose to build their monastery in the lower part of Marina district, located along the wall in today's Viale Regina Margherita. A church dedicated to “Our Lady of Jesus” was added to the the main body, currently there are only few remains.
On August 22, 1717 after the Spanish attacks, the monastery suffered severe damages. The Tobacco Factory have been established in the first decade of the nineteenth century, in the restored former monastery.

In 1868, a company called Regia, became manager of the Tobacco Factory and it introduced the Tuscan cigars in the market. The sales had such a positive feedback that the factory returned under Savoy control, and later, in 1884, to the State government.

The factory was one of the first factories in Cagliari which provided stable employment and remuneration to the first “state” workers of Sardinia. Even the female labour took advantage from this economic environment and it started to receive quite high wages, compared to average wages of the female working class of the period.

Starting from the 90's the Tobacco factory underwent a period of irreversible crisis due to the inability to face the modernization and, as a result, in 2001 the Italian Tobacco Company announced its closure.