Introduction and diffusion of tobacco in Italy
The cultivation of tobacco in the heel of Italy has rather remote origins and has characterized the life of many families and farmers in Salento for a long time. According to sources, tobacco was grown as early as the eighteenth century. At the time, there were two types of tobacco: Kotor (dry-grown and irrigated) and Brazil (constantly irrigated). Both were used as snuff (mostly) and smoking (for the production of cigars), and were much appreciated by high society and the clergy of the time.
The very first tobacco growers were the mendicant friars, but it was the Venetian merchants and the Spanish who introduced it to the Terra d’Otranto. When the volumes produced became truly large, cultivation passed into the hands of the Kingdom of Italy. This happened at the beginning of the nineteenth century, when tobacco was widely spread in the Lecce countryside, in some villages down towards Capo di Leuca, but also towards Mesagne, Oria, Francavilla.
With the advent of the government tobacco monopoly, things changed. The farmers of Salento stopped seeing tobacco as a source of income: the real profit went to the landowners and the state. And the hours of work invested in tobacco production were so many that they did not receive adequate economic compensation. Among the varieties of cattaro in Salento, the one from Lecce stood out. It was a shorter plant than the others, with 22 leaves, the market particularly loved its fragrance and aroma. The village curly cattaro was also highly prized: its leaves were longer. In addition to these two types, others were soon added, coming from America, but also from Herzegovina.
The story would still be long and complex. But to be concise, let’s get to the twentieth century. In this historical period, there were few families in the province of Lecce who had concessions for the cultivation and processing of tobacco. During the First World War, tobacco processing was entrusted to women, the famous “tabacchine”, who were employed occasionally and without too many guarantees. It is no coincidence that there was no shortage of agitation to request that the amount of the piecework wage be revised.
The life of tobacconists and farmers of Salento
Over time, and also as a consequence of the olive and vine crisis of that period, the tobacco industry continued to expand. On the one hand it was an advantage: especially in the summer months, the cultivation of tobacco made it possible to significantly stem the problem of unemployment. On the other hand, tobacconists continued to receive a meager wage, with which they contributed minimally to the family income. And not only that: we almost always worked in precarious hygienic and sanitary conditions. Life in the tobacco factory was tough and the teacher (a female supervisor) made sure that no one spoke or wasted time in any way. The threat was always that of dismissal.
From sowing to harvesting, up to stringing the leaves
The cycle of tobacco cultivation by tobacconists in Salento began with the sowing process, which required expert hands, and took place in the so-called “ruddhre”, i.e. a portion of land used for cultivation. This rectangle of land was worked to be leveled, with the rake, inside which an expanse of organic fertilizer was deposited. Subsequently, the tobacco seeds, mixed with the ash, were thrown onto the ground and then watered. Once ready for tobacco cultivation, they were uprooted from the root and then collected in “cascette”, small wooden boxes, covered with a jute cloth and then transplanted onto new soil.
The harvest took place at the first light of dawn: a job that involved entire families, even children. In particular, 4 to 5 cycles were carried out to harvest the tobacco leaves, in order to perfectly clean the entire plant. All of this, approximately, in a week.
Once collected and arrived home, we sat in a circle and began the fundamental phase of threading, the “‘nfilatura”. This process consisted of threading the leaves along a large steel needle (the “cuceddhra”) and then passing the string through the eye. Once all the threads were filled with tobacco leaves, they were hung on the frames and the sun drying phase could finally begin. The loom is called “tiralettu” and, once the sun set, they were brought into the house.
Once the tobacco was ready, it was delivered to the “Manifattura te lu tabbaccu” in wooden crates covered with jute sheets.
Processing in the tobacco factory
The tobacconists usually began their task towards the end of November when the tobacco leaves were now dry. They took care of their sorting, dividing them inside particular wooden crates by color and based on quality.
The tobacco leaves were put together and divided into small bunches and then pressed, while the other tobaccos formed the so-called “ballettes”, arranged according to the weight and type of quality of the tobacco. Once this phase was completed we moved on to pressing, after which the leaves were placed in a wood stove to mature the tobacco with the heat.
There was a worker who supervised all these operations, or “the mescia” to check that there were no hitches or imperfections in the manufacturing processes. The balls were placed in a room in contact with sulphur, to avoid corrosion and after a few days placed in the warehouse for another inspection by the mescia. The tobacco leaves obtained were crumbled to create cigarettes and the tobacco obtained was taken to the Monopoly factories in order to evaluate the taste and flavor.
The sector is starting to show signs of suffering
From 1935 onwards, however, the sector began to show signs of suffering. The entire sector showed signs of decline for a wide range of reasons: the introduction of poor quality varieties, poor commercial capacity, the choice of unsuitable land, unfavorable weather conditions, poor preparation on the agricultural front, the lack of use of fertilizers and so on. Not to mention that the vine and olive tree were gaining ground. Towards the end of the 1930s the work began to be reorganised: from packaging methods to the processing of the leaves themselves, methods were changed and sometimes even a minimum of mechanization began to be introduced. These choices led to a reduction in manpower and necessary working hours, which resulted in a series of workers’ revolts and trade union activities.
A recovery of the sector followed, thanks also to a series of measures issued specifically in favor of tobacco growers. We then reached the 1960s, when tobacco downy mildew appeared, a plant disease that seriously damaged the sector.
In 1970 the Monopoly regime fell: the tobacco growers were freed but, in fact, left in disarray. It was, in fact, the final blow to the sector, which ended its history in a short time.
Tobacco factories and their rebirth
A rather forgotten recent history, despite the socio-economic and cultural repercussions, which has left an incredible abandoned architectural heritage, today mostly in ruins in the Salento area. Many are buildings that go almost unnoticed, with a regular and simple structure, made of tuff, often also vaulted but small in size, sometimes newly built, and sometimes built on the basis of pre-existing buildings, such as farmhouses or farms. However, there are also warehouses larger than 1,000 m2 where the processing and storage of tobacco that flowed from extensive cultivations was concentrated. Factories that are true landmarks in the outskirts of the municipalities of Salento, up to the great works created in Lecce, the “Royal Tobacco Manufactures”. What has become of this agro-industrial archeology today? Below are some approaches for the reuse and reconversion of an architectural heritage spread across the territory, which seeks specific answers according to the cases in regional financing with European funds linked to tourism, in the regional territorial landscape plan which catalogs it in the “System of agricultural factories food”, in the 2015 regional law on the “Enhancement of industrial archeology heritage”, in program agreements in variation of the PRG. But, above all, it is a heritage that would like to find a different future with the help of private individuals and, even more so, of institutions, so that it can be transformed from a problem into a great territorial opportunity, as farms and farms have already been in Puglia. rural artefacts.
Near the municipality of Veglie, between 1926 and 1928, as part of the reclamation of the Salento countryside wanted by the fascist regime, “Monteruga” was specifically founded, a real village, expanding a pre-existing farm, the whose aim was to create a thriving center for the production of tobacco, as well as oil and wine. Its architecture reflects the traditional one of the villages in the area in the first decades of the twentieth century. What is attractive is the fact that the entire village seems to have suddenly stopped in the last century and, although affected by the inevitable degradation of time, is overall quite intact and well preserved. We still find the tobacco warehouse, the oil mill, the silos, the Church of Sant’Antonio and the farmhouses. Towards the end of the 1970s it reached up to 800 inhabitants, only to suffer a rapid and drastic decline over the following decade, due to the privatization of the company and the division of the land. The Ministry of Culture has placed it under restriction as a “site of particularly important interest”, and the hope is that this place will be recovered as soon as possible.
Some recent examples of former tobacco factories that have found new use, following a careful and respectful renovation, are: “La Masseria Diso – Il Tabacchificio”, one of the most renowned examples of luxury hospitality in this type of pre-existence; “The former tobacco factory of Taurisano”, now used as an exhibition space for works by contemporary artists; “Il Tabacchificio – Hotel” located in Gagliano del Capo.
Other former tobacco factories, however, are waiting to be brought back to life, and this is the very current case of a former tobacco factory located in southern Salento, in Castrignano del Capo. It is a structure dating back to 1800, whose original nucleus is that of a farmhouse dating back to 1600, entirely built with barrel and star vaults, distributed over two floors. The project for the recovery and conversion into a luxury accommodation facility, with an adjoining restaurant, is underway, respecting the local architecture and traditions of the place.
The future:
The recovery of former tobacco factories is not only a question of architectural restoration, but also of preserving collective memory and promoting sustainable development. With the support of institutions and private investors, these buildings can become engines of growth for Salento, transforming a page of industrial history into a new chapter of prosperity and innovation.