From the Nave Alliance to the Lanificio Leo, here are the most intriguing places not to be missed during the FAI Open Days

Is there such a thing as a ‘happiness factory’? Yes, there is. Unusual places, some of which are normally inaccessible, where Italia’s heritage intertwines with work, science and memory. Among the sites open as part of the FAI Autumn Open Days on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October are unusual sites, factories with a rich history that are still in operation, a workshop that supplied Hollywood, a NATO research vessel and a crypt housing mummified bodies dressed in period clothing.

The journey begins on the outskirts of Turin, in Collegno, where Leone 1857 has opened an immersive corporate museum dedicated to one of Italy’s most famous sweets. The company’s history dates back 170 years to Neive, in the Cuneo area. It was there that Luigi Leone had the idea of turning the custom of serving small digestive sweets at the end of a meal into a product, thus creating the Pastiglia Leone. Since then, the range has expanded to include sweets, jellies and chocolate – products that have become icons of the national confectionery tradition. The new space is situated next to the pastille factory, which has been in operation since the early 2000s, and has been designed around chocolate production: visitors can observe the process through large windows and interactive rooms, on a tour that highlights the connection between historic machinery and contemporary technologies. The finale is the ‘Theatre’, an interactive space dedicated to ingredients, flavours and production stages. The building, designed by Piuarch, makes the most of natural light and its connection with the surrounding greenery, and prioritises sustainability through photovoltaic systems, rainwater harvesting and the use of natural and recyclable materials, whilst the museum design and content were curated by Luca Molinari Studio.

From Turin to Rome, where, on this special occasion, visitors will be able to step inside the Roman headquarters of the prop-making company E. Rancati, which has been crafting jewellery, armour and props for theatre, film and television since 1875. The company’s origins lie in Milan: a theatre props workshop founded in the second half of the nineteenth century, which was inherited in 1864 by Giulia Sormani, who, upon marrying the sculptor Edoardo Rancati, gave the business the name E. Rancati & C. It was her brother, Angelo, who opened the Rome branch, whilst from 1912 her son Romolo strengthened ties with La Scala, collaborating with maestros such as Puccini and Toscanini and with artists including Sironi and De Chirico. From the 1930s onwards, the company moved from theatre set-making to the cinema and, despite the bombing raids of 1943 and a fire in 1993, flourished in Rome during the golden age of Cinecittà, supplying epics such as *Ben-Hur* and Oscar-winning films. Today, the fifth generation of the Sormani family runs the business, combining traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge techniques such as 3D printing and managing, across Milan, Rome and London, a historic catalogue of tens of thousands of items. Volunteers will guide visitors through the workshop and the vast warehouse, showcasing furnishings, weapons and jewellery linked to the greatest international productions.

In the Gulf of La Spezia, the highlight of the tour is the Nave Alliance, which is normally closed to the public, combined with the Naval Technical Museum. The exhibition traces the centuries-long evolution of oceanography in the city, beginning with the Savoy collections transferred to La Spezia in the late nineteenth century following the foundation of the Military Arsenal. The museum, rebuilt after the war, documents the pioneering phase of maritime exploration with antique navigational instruments, artefacts linked to oceanographic research and artefacts from historic Arctic expeditions. With the Cold War, research took a technological leap towards underwater acoustics, and it was in this context that, in 1988, NATO launched the Alliance: 93 metres in length, with highly functional spaces and a hull designed to move through the water without disturbing the seabed. Operated by the Italian Navy on behalf of the CMRE, the Alliance’s maritime research centre, the vessel takes part in international missions and studies on climate change and the melting of Arctic ice. On board, visitors will be able to walk along the decks, enter the research laboratories and gain an up-close insight into the work of researchers and sailors.

Heading down to Calabria, in Soveria Mannelli, in the Catanzaro area, the Lanificio Leo offers the chance to visit a factory that is still in operation, where historic machinery and modern technology coexist in a production cycle that is still in use today. Founded in 1873 in Carlopoli by brothers Antonio and Giuseppe Leo and subsequently relocated, it is today the oldest textile factory in Calabria still in operation. For much of the 20th century, it processed wool from the Gentile di Calabria sheep, similar to merino in terms of fineness and softness. The transformation of rural society, progressive offshoring and the government’s decision to change the breeds used for wool led the wool mill into a period of difficulty, until the family chose to restore its historical heritage as a resource for the future: machinery built between 1890 and 1965, still in working order, and more than two hundred antique hand-carved pear-wood blocks used for rust-printing. Accompanied by industry experts, visitors can explore the company museum and follow the entire journey of the wool, from fleece to yarn, from weaving to finishing and garment production.