Tanning activity in Pescia goes back to the middle ages.In the second half of the XIVth century a tanner's guild already existed. A few decades later many inhabitants were involved in leather manufactured goods production.

In 1427 there were five shoemakers, five furriers, a saddler and two craftsmen. In 1482 the qualification as tanner was so frequent that it was the custom to write it down beside the name of the father in the baptism book held in the cathedral.
In 1560 four tanneries - called at that time "galigherie" - owned by the Guerra - Galeffi family were located in Via della Coiaria,now Via Santa Maria.

The development of this kind of handicraft was possible thanks to the easy supply of raw materials - especially sheep leather - Pescia being close to the apennines where sheep farming was already well developed. Raw leather came to Pescia from abroad through the port of Pisa and merchants in Lucca.
At the end of the XVI century,the importance of the tanning industry can be seen by the specific regulations addressed to the workers referring to their working tecniques.
Many wealthy families, attracted by the special taxation system as well as by the prosperity of the area, came to Pescia in order to set up new factories, especially papermills and silkfactories.
In the middle of the XVIIIth century thanks to the rational exploitation of natural resources the economic development of the area reached a very high level.
There was a symbiotic relationship between the production system and territory. Canals and factories constituted an inseparable functional unit tightly connected to the environment.The clean river water enabled the production of the finest paper,leather and silk while wind strenght was used to dry the finished manufactured goods.The economic success of the area was due to the connection between natural resources and an abundance of raw materials.
At that time Pescia depended on the tanning industry and this had a knock on effect to other activities. The sherds of flesh coming as by - product from tanneries were utilized by the farmers for manuring the soil, as well as being used for glue production.
From the woods as well as the bark which tanneries needed for tanning the leather, came the timber for the joiners.

According to the census about Tuscan industries-carried out for Pietro Leopoldo in 1766 - in Pescia there were three tanneries producing about 7.000 skins per year.

At that time the Pescia area produced more than twice the amount of hides produced in Pistoia.In 1812, during the French occupation, there were five tanneries employing 22 workers. In 1813 the number of employed workers had risen to 30.

About 6.900 pieces of "thin raw hides", 5.650 pieces of "calf skin coloured" and 7.000 pieces of "thick" hides were produced.This information gives some idea of the upward trend of this activity at the beginning of the IXXth century. In 1840 the road system was improved giving a great boost to trade.
The production of hides in Pescia for a wider market was also positively influenced by some international events such as the Crimea war.

In Pescia in 1860 there were five tanneries emploiyng 85 workers and producing 46.325 skins while nearby could be found just 11 tanneries employing 85 Workers and producing 46.990 skins. At that time markets demanded "thick leather", "soft leather" and white or coloured "thin leather".
Thick leather was obtained from bullock-hide and buffalo-hide,soft leather from horse-hide,calf-skin and cow-hide and the "thin leather" which was utilized by saddlers,glove makers,shoe makers and bookbinders,from kid-leather, sheep-skin and ram-skin.
According to the 1861 census,tanneries in Pescia employed 91 workers and produced 7.400 leathers for shoe soles,8.150 calf skins and horse hides, 11.800 cow hides and 25.000 ram skins.
All the tanneries utilized different kinds of bark coming from holm oak, vallonia oak and turkey oak. For the greasing they used lineseed oil,fish oil and tallow.

In the early '80's a deep crisis took place in the tanning industry caused by foreign competition. The main competitor was Austria that set up tanneries in northern Italy exploiting italian raw materials and a skilled italian workforce.
The small entrepreneurs in Pescia were forced to produce a wider range of products in order to compete therefore the production of cowhide and well finished leathers increased.