On June 23rd, 2023, FAI announced the donation of the Convento di San Bernardino – Casa Olivetti* in Ivrea. One year on, the Foundation is currently carrying out a wide-ranging campaign of studies and surveys on the entire complex in order to better direct the planning and valorisation choices for the asset.

The Convento di San Bernardino – Casa Olivetti* in Ivrea, donated to FAI by the Olivetti heirs and Tim in 2023, is located in the industrial city and constitutes a nucleus of significant and unprecedented historical-artistic value, which was the fulcrum and driving force of the Olivetti enterprise. 

The factories of Camillo and Adriano Olivetti’s company that surround the Convent – iconic buildings in the history of modern architecture – earned Ivrea recognition in 2018 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as an ‘Industrial City of the 20th Century’ and testify to the original and innovative vision of Adriano Olivetti, whose human, cultural and entrepreneurial story has marked the history of Italy.

From Casa Olivetti to Olivetti Recreational Sports Group (GSRO – Gruppo Sportivo Ricreativo Olivetti)

Founded in the 15th century and after becoming a farm in the 19th century, from 1907 the Convent was the home of the Olivetti family, until 1955, when the family moved elsewhere. Adriano, then head of the company, included it in the redevelopment project of the area, entrusted to the famous architect Ignazio Gardella. 

The Convent was then destined to house the Olivetti Recreational Sports Group, which had already been founded in 1912 by Camillo Olivetti to promote socialising and recreation. A social, cultural and sports centre available to Olivetti workers during their lunch breaks, which lasted more than two hours, and to their families. 

The historic building was partly demolished for a large project; the new functions erased all traces of the previous domestic life, and a billiard room, a gym, meeting and cultural spaces, a bar and a restaurant were housed inside the convent. 

Outside, the focus was on new buildings and areas: three tennis courts, eight bocce courts and a ‘health trail’ on the nearby Monte Navale hill. 

The GSRO ceased its activities in the 1990s, and since then the Convent and its external outbuildings, abandoned and deprived of any function, have begun to deteriorate.

The campaign of studies and investigations for the restoration and enhancement of the property

Thanks to the contribution of the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation, the Restoration and Conservation Office is carrying out a wide-ranging and in-depth study and investigation campaign on the entire complex, to better direct the design choices and cultural enhancement of the site. 

After 20 years of neglect, at the end of 2023 the first work began on the wooded areas of Monte Navale (covering more than 25,000 square metres) to allow access for professionals, technicians and scholars. Finally, the paths winding through the woods have been made passable again and made safe.

During the work, the walls dating back to the 15th century and the foundation of the Convent were found in their entirety. This fascinating and significant unpublished historical evidence allows us to grasp the original dimensions of the convent and understand its importance.

The recently completed photographic, topographical, geometric and botanical survey campaign provides the basis for assessing the state of health of the forest, as well as the boundary wall, the work to be carried out to make the paths usable again, and its future management and cultural enhancement.  

Stratigraphic tests and chemical-physical analyses are being performed on the Convent’s plasterwork, which will also be carried out on the frescoes in the Church along with historical-artistic and archaeological investigations. 

The studies and analyses of the plasterwork, cladding, and frescoes are essential tools for providing interesting details on the architectural evolution of the building as well as its previous restorations, and will complete the knowledge of the Church, the highest historical and artistic expression of the San Bernardino complex. 

For the purposes of restoration, the analyses allow the causes of degradation to be traced and guide design choices, including with regard to the chemical-physical compatibility of materials. 

With a view to enhancing all phases of the Ivrea complex, this information is of great importance for the development of the narrative that will be proposed to the public visiting the Convent. 

These activities are part of a broader project to restore and enhance the Convent of San Bernardino, financed by the Ministry of Culture as part of the strategic plan ‘Grandi Progetti Beni Culturali’

*Dedicated pages in Italian