Unlike nearby Mantua, the factories of Sabbioneta were closely linked to the political and economic project of Vespasian Gonzaga, who conceived the ideal city not only as an administrative and military center, but also as a place of production and innovation. The most significant activities were those of goldsmiths, engravers, and specialized craftsmen, often in the service of the court.
Carpenters, bricklayers, stonemasons, painters, and gunsmiths also worked around the ducal residence, engaged in the construction and maintenance of palaces, fortifications, and decorative features. The very construction of the city represented a major undertaking, drawing skilled workers from various Italian regions.
Among the businesses that established themselves firmly in Sabbioneta were the mint, active since 1558, and the Jewish printing presses, which helped make the city an important center of cultural production. Even today, the memory of these factories lives on in the urban toponymy: names like Via della Zecca (Zecca Street) and Via della Stamperia (Printing Street) bear witness to a city that combined its political function with lively productive and intellectual activity.