This is the first and most glorious plant of the company “Cementi e Calci idrauliche F.lli Pesenti fu Antonio” (named “Italcementi”, since 1927). The plant is located in Alzano sopra and consists of two buildings, an outstanding monument of industrial archaeology: the first cements of the Pesenti company were manufactured and perfected “by natural means” right here (including the famous Portland Cement, since 1896), until the factory fell into disuse in 1968.
This extraordinary building was design by Engineer Cesare Pesenti: the construction works took place from 1883 till the Twenties and beyond, going along with the main innovation of the European cement industry.
Eng. Pesenti was one of the first in Italy to adopt the construction experimentations of “reinforced concrete”, invented in France a few years before, adopting a brand-new system called “alzanese” (“made in Alzano”): the so-called “semi-reinforced concrete”.
The actual production core, with vertical concrete furnaces, is the Eastern side, which has not undergone any renovation or conservation work yet. It is a very precious area, indeed, as it is the only proof of the industrial past and the innovation spirit of that time, as well as an incredibly evocative place.
That’s why the Pesenti Cement Plant has been protected by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage since 1980.