The Lingotto of Bresso

Help to rescue the Iso factory - sign the petition !

Beyond Milan, Via Ornato changes its name into Via Vittorio Veneto and becomes the main street of Bresso. The little church Madonna del Pilastrello rises just after entering the city at the very heart of the historical centre of Bresso. Just few meters and you can see the unique entrance of the old Iso factory, now owned by the RAM, a haulage firm.
The hangars forming the complex have so much maintained their aspect during the past thirty years that still now it is possible to recognize the foreshortening shown in some picture of those days. The industrial area is surrounded by the city park, called after Renzo Rivolta, and by the villa and its gardens.
The history of this factory is in practice the history of the origins of Iso itself. When in 1939 Renzo Rivolta bought the villa, at that time owned by the nobles Patellanis, and changed its name into Villa Rivolta, a great park full of trees, gardens and stables was enclosed to it. Towards the end of World War II the enterprising Renzo decided to sacrifice a part of the holding to build some hangars, meant for the production activity of his just founded factory, the Isothermos, which mainly produced radiators and refrigerators. This kind of production required a larger area than the one the villa could offer.

So the hangars, still visible from via Vittorio Veneto 66, were built up. After the War the factory production was converted into motor production, scooters and light motorcycles became the core business of Isothermos, whose name was changed simply into Iso in a very short time. The raising necessity of larger spaces compelled the construction of new buildings and hangars for the assembly line, the storehouse and the canteen. In the middle of the 50s the factory had reached considerable dimensions, annexing an area next to the villa, where the test track rose, edged by other hangars and the aqueduct tower. The connection between the two areas was underground, through a tunnel which is still practicable.

The Iso counted formerly 300 employees; that was a significant figure of Bresso active population. The Rivoltas factory definitely marked the inhabitants daily life, governed by the siren which drew the workers in the morning or announced the end of the day in the evening. Every inhabitant had practically a relative or a friend at least working for the Iso! In the large and modern hangars the production of Isetta could be started parallel to the production of motorcycles and four and three wheeled vans. But from 1962 the beginning of the gran turismo era compelled a rational altering of the inner spaces and the introduction of the new machinery, as the modern and efficient car assembly lane.

Pure genius!

 Iso Isetta , Iso rivolta GT, Iso Grifo, S4 and Fidia were conceived and projected in those spaces. But during the presentation period of Iso Lele in 1969 an agreement was signed to decree the assignment of the hangars from Iso to other factories. The conception of all the models (except the Varedo) is strongly bound to Bresso, where the commit- ment and the imagination of many men contributed to the rising of original and fascinating vehicles, which are nowadays difficult to find.
In Turin, the old FIAT factory, was friendly called by everyone The Lingotto for his particular shape. Today this large building is used as an important exhibition center (the International Turin Motor Show, is organized right here). So we hope that Iso Factory could follow this example.

Text written by Flavio Campetti (Translation by Irene Pullella)

A monument to save,

The Iso Millennium Committee is trying to make true a suggestion coming from many Iso friends who had the possibility to visit the ex-Iso factory in occasion of the Iso Millennium event. The old Iso f factory could be an important monument for anyone loving these beautiful cars and bikes. So we think that it will be a terrible mistake to knock down the entire Iso factory, and that if even a little portion of it could survive it would be an excellent, and most appropriate home for the proposed Iso Museum. In fact, the idea of an Iso Museum is agreed by the Bresso town Council authorities, who want instead to build it in an other place, and demolish the entire Iso factory. The whole building could be considered as a great area not only to host the Iso Museum , but also a space large enough to organize exhibitions, conventions, meetings, since it rises in the heart of Bresso, on its main street. That is why we have decided to put together a petition on the Internet , just to ask our Iso friends all over the world to concur to make real this idea.

The Iso Millennium Committee. Bresso - Italia

What you can do to help:

To help saving this unique building I would like to ask you to print the petition and ask as many people you can find to sign it. Then send it to this adress,

Bresso.it - ACLI Madonna della Misericordia - Via Villoresi 43 - 20091 Bresso (MI) - ITALY

For more information ask Alessandro Brioschi : bressonews@tiscalinet.it

Go to The Petition : Click on the poster above