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Abstract: THE HISTORY OF A ROMAN ENTREPRENEURIAL GROUP DURING THE MODERN AGE: THE PRODUCTION OF LIME The architectonic policies of the popes, and more generally the growth of the city, lead to a massive production of construction materials. This article faces some of the issues related to lime production between the 15th and 17th centuries. Lime was usually produced by destroying ancient monuments, but starting from the mid 15th century there were many producers in the Tivoli area. By taking advantage of the rich deposits of travertine and the easy river transportation to Rome, an intense production developed in a area quite far from the city. This meant that it had no ties to the Roman corporative system. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the opening of important construction sites such as that for St. Peter’s Basilica and the growing demand for lime presented by the many public and private factories lead to the rise of entrepreneurial vendors in this sector. Thanks to their solid financial basis, these “vendors” were able to organize everything from the productive process to the sales in the city market. By the first decades of the 17th century. the role of certain significant economic operators, owners of plants that gave work to a massive wage earning force, allow us to speak about real entrepreneurial groups. Similarly, typical rural industry began to form in the Roman countryside.