L'"impresa generale del tabacco". Come Genova provò a sfruttare a fini fiscali uno dei massimi processi di mondializzazione degli scambi tra XVII e XVIII secolo

After its spread in Italy between the 16th and 17th centuries, almost all ancient Italian states begin to tax tobacco, until the establishment of appropriate monopolies who could achieve higher fiscal business. This essay focuses on the solution adopted by the Republic of Genoa, where it is established an «Impresa generale» operating since 1659, with several difficulties caused by smuggling activities. The study investigates the different figures of these smugglers (nobles and religious, slaves operating on the galleys, soldiers, consuls of foreign States, harbor Dockers) and how they operate in a context in which these illegal activities occur mainly by sea, between Liguria and the kingdom of Corsica. The Genoese monopoly tries to exploit this important business for fiscal purpose, but the particular characteristics of the commercial activities in the area that falls under its jurisdiction are often doomed to fail