MILS – Museo delle Industrie e del Lavoro del Saronnese
Museum of the industrial history and labour of Saronno, in a sawtooth-roofed shed of the Ferrovie Nord, with machinery and the archives of historic firms. Free admission.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The idea for the museum came from a temporary exhibition held in 1996 in the premises of the ACLI in Saronno, which presented objects collected and restored by associations of former employees of the Saronno companies: the first nucleus of the collections. A group of volunteers carried the project forward, and on 25 October 1998 the first sections were inaugurated in a historic shed with the characteristic sawtooth roof, made available by the Ferrovie Nord Milano.
The spaces grew over time. In December 2003 the exhibition area reached 2,000 square metres, 600 of them covered, and in June 2005 2,200 square metres, 800 of them covered. In 2007 the conference room, the Sala Baldo, was renovated and equipped with multimedia facilities for hosting exhibitions of paintings and photographs. The museum is recognised as a museum collection by the Lombardy Region.
The route tells, through machinery, products, documents and images, the story of an area where some of the most significant Lombard manufacturing episodes developed over the last 150 years: from the first manufacturing firms of the second half of the nineteenth century to the 1960s. Large firms are presented, such as Isotta Fraschini, Ferrovie Nord Milano, Lazzaroni, FIMI-Phonola and De Angeli Frua, as well as many smaller concerns. A library and the publications of the Quaderni del MILS complete the museum's research work.
Highlights
- Machinery and products of historic firms of the Saronno area
- Sections devoted to Isotta Fraschini, FNM, Lazzaroni, FIMI-Phonola and Cotonificio Poss
- Cutrupi collection of vintage radios
- Gerosa-Borgonovo collection of locomotive models
- Old first-class railway carriage with a virtual reality experience
- Library and archives on industrial and labour history
Permanent exhibition
- Collezioni permanenti sulle industrie del Saronnese – Sections devoted to the major firms of the area (including Isotta Fraschini, FNM, Lazzaroni, FIMI-Phonola and De Angeli Frua), with machinery, products and documents, plus the Cutrupi collection (vintage radios) and the Gerosa-Borgonovo collection (locomotive models).
- Founded
- 1998
- Visitors per year
- approx. 3,783
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission. Guided tours for schools and groups by reservation are free of charge.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
For schools the museum offers guided tours adapted to age and an immersive experience with a virtual reality headset on an old first-class railway carriage in front of the entrance.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Stazione FNM di Saronno · 6-min walk
FNM trains from Milan, Varese, Como, Novara and Malpensa to Saronno. The museum is a 6-minute walk from Saronno FNM station.
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
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours for school parties and groups are booked by email (milsmuseo@gmail.com), giving the preferred date and time, the number of visitors, a contact person and a telephone number. |
