Museo della Meccanica e del Cuscinetto
Museum of 2,200 m² in the historic RIV-SKF plant: machine tools, a reconstructed workshop and the history of the ball bearing in the Val Chisone.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum documents part of the industrial history of the Val Chisone through precision engineering and the production of rolling bearings. It is located inside the historic plant at Villar Perosa, once owned by RIV and today by SKF.
Ball-bearing production in Italy began in 1906, when Roberto Incerti opened a small workshop in Turin for bicycle hubs and bearings, which until then had been imported mainly from England and Germany. In September of the same year the Villar Perosa plant, wanted by Giovanni Agnelli to meet growing demand, went into operation, with 180 workers and hydroelectric power stations built to supply the machines. A notable episode is the bombing of the plant on 3 January 1944, which caused no casualties.
The museum, which covers about 2,200 m², is run by the association Amici del Museo and holds machines, tools, photographs and documents that trace the evolution of metalworking, from the lathe to bearings for high-speed trains.
Highlights
- Historic workshop from the late 19th to early 20th century, reconstructed with original parts and belt drives
- Hall of large machine tools, including a multi-spindle lathe
- Display on the evolution of the lathe
- Wooden models of 16th-century machines
- Railway bearings up to those for high-speed trains
Permanent exhibitions
- Piano terra: officina storica e macchine utensili – Reconstruction of a period workshop with belt drives and forge, machine tools arranged in order of technological development, and the hall of large machines.
- Primo piano: storia del cuscinetto e strumenti di misura – Photographic archive and company documents, examples of bearings and their applications, the evolution of the lathe, measuring instruments, railway bearings and wooden models of 16th-century machines.
- Operated by
- Associazione Amici del Museo
- Visitors per year
- approx. 1,305
Admission & discounts
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Outside Sunday opening hours, visits are booked by phone or e-mail. On the first floor there is an educational workshop aimed mainly at school groups, and two lecture rooms for screenings of historical and technical films. |
