DE-FLOODED PUMPS [BE]

Exploration #294. De-flooded pumps. Hidden beneath the vast underground levels of a former rolling mill, this abandoned pump room once supported the industrial processes above. It most likely supplied cooling water to machinery operating on the production floors.

The rolling mill and its surface buildings have since been demolished, but parts of the underground infrastructure remain. Forgotten below ground, the pump room survives as one of the few traces of the site’s former industrial life. The machinery suggests a practical role within the mill’s cooling system, where large volumes of water would have been essential for keeping equipment at safe operating temperatures. In the past, the room was often partly flooded, giving the space an unusual and almost reflective character.

By the time of our visit, however, the water had been drained. Copper thieves were dismantling parts of the motors, leaving the room drier and more exposed than before. With the buildings above already gone, these underground spaces may be among the last surviving fragments of the rolling mill.

CASTELLO ARBOREO [IT]

Exploration #225. A forgotten medieval castle in northern Italy probably began as a 14th-century fortified refuge. Reworked in the 15th century and later adapted as a noble residence, it preserves traces of Ghibelline battlements, older walls and a long history of feudal ownership.

The present structure is difficult to read at first glance, because each century has overwritten the one before it. Behind later elevations, sections of swallow-tail battlements remain sealed inside the masonry, evidence of a defensive phase that may have belonged to a ricetto: a protected enclosure built to shelter people, goods and harvests.

Historical records connect the area to imperial and ecclesiastical power from the Middle Ages. Over time, the castle passed through the hands of bishops, communes and aristocratic families, reflecting the unstable political geography of northern Italy. Its original perimeter was likely defended by an embankment and a moat, while traces of nearby foundations suggest that a small settlement once stood close to the fortified core.

In the 15th century the building rose higher, losing part of its military clarity but gaining the scale of a more representative residence. Later owners reshaped it again, turning a defensive complex into a symbol of status. Today the abandoned halls, damaged walls and surviving tower leave a fragmented but powerful record of medieval defence, noble ambition and slow architectural decline.

CARTIERA VI-MA [IT]

Exploration #285. The VI-MA paper mill in Cairate was born in the post-war boom as a separate production pole linked to the Vita-Mayer group. Built south of the older mill, it served the rising market for disposable paper before the crisis and closure of 1977.

In the industrial landscape of the Olona Valley, the Cartiera VI-MA of Cairate represents one of the clearest signs of Italy’s economic expansion after the Second World War. It must not be confused with the historic Vita-Mayer paper mill, whose roots go back to the nineteenth century. VI-MA came later, when Astorre Mayer redirected production toward mass consumption and disposable paper goods. The new plant answered a practical need: the original factory, compressed between Cairate and Lonate Ceppino, had almost exhausted its available space.

Around the 1950s and 1960s, demand was growing fast, and the wider Vita-Mayer system reached its peak, with thousands of workers, heavy freight traffic and an annual output reported at 80,000 tons of paper. VI-MA was therefore more than an annex. It was the modern face of the company’s final expansion: reinforced-concrete buildings, large industrial volumes and a layout designed for scale. Its story follows the same curve as many Italian paper industries: growth, technological ambition, then sudden decline.

From 1971 the sector was hit by international competition, shortages of timber and wider social and political instability. Floods of the Olona added further damage. In 1977 the group collapsed, leaving VI-MA silent together with the rest of the Cairate paper-making district. Today the former VI-MA paper mill is part of a vast industrial archaeology area between Cairate and Lonate Ceppino. Its abandoned structures preserve the memory of a working valley shaped by water, railways, paper and the fragile optimism of the post-war industrial age.

(main source: https://www.cartieracairate.it/la-storia/).

VILLA CENERE [IT]

Exploration #257 Villa Cenere. Villa Cenere is a small two-story house located in the countryside of northern Italy. The name probably comes from the large amount of ash found in the room with the fireplace (and the piano), and from a small fire that affected what was supposed to be a storage room. The room with the chandelier almost completely collapsed in 2024. No more information is available about its history.

CENTRALE TERMICA UNIONE MANIFATTURE [IT]

Exploration #276 Centrale termica unione manifatture. These photos capture the abandoned thermal power plant of one of the Unione Manifatture factories, a major textile group that operated in the Milan province during the first half of the last century. Once the beating heart that powered looms and production lines, this industrial relic is now all that remains of a much larger complex. While nearly all the other facilities have been demolished or repurposed over time, this power plant has somehow survived, standing alone as a silent witness to an era of industrial ambition, labor, and transformation that shaped the local landscape.

CENTRALE IDROELETTRICA DELL’ARDO [IT]

Exploration #270 Centrale idroelettrica dell’Ardo. The idea of bringing electric lighting to Belluno dates back to 1890, when the opportunity to replace oil lamps was considered. Initially, it was thought to exploit the Ardo torrent, but its inconstant flow forced the search for alternatives. Thus, in 1897, the first power station was built on the Caorame stream, 25 km from the city, guaranteeing the lighting of 260 incandescent lamps.

The increasing demand for energy soon made a new plant necessary. In 1907, the Società Bellunese Industria Elettrica started the construction of the Ardo power station, which went into operation in 1910 with two Francis turbines, manufactured by the Riva company of Milan. The facility, with a capacity of almost 500 kW, supplied energy for public lighting and local industries.

After passing under the control of SADE and then ENEL, the power station operated until 1966, when a flood of the torrent severely damaged the hydraulic works. In 1968, ENEL decided not to renew the concession, judging the restoration to be unsustainable. Since then, the building has been left to decay, a victim of theft, vandalism and, finally, the collapse of the roof, which has made any hypothesis of recovery impossible.
Today, the Ardo power station is reduced to a ruin: without a roof, the interior is invaded by vegetation and the structure continues to deteriorate..

VISMARA SALUMI [IT]

In progress…

Exploration #262 Vismara salumi. This industry was founded in 1898 and distinguished itself as one of the oldest brands of Italian charcuterie. It grew in the period between the two world wars and in the 1950s began exporting its products internationally. In the 1960s, it also made a name for itself with television advertisements, introducing innovations such as the slicing trays in the 1970s.

In the early 2000s, it closed its historic factory in the centre of town to open a new, more modern factory nearby. Since then, the buildings have been in a state of disrepair. In 2026 demolitions works have started.

EX MOBILIFICIO [IT]

In progress…

Exploration #258 Ex mobilificio. This former furniture factory was founded after World War II, at a time of great economic development and renewed enthusiasm. It represented Italian excellence in the furniture sector, establishing itself as one of the protagonists of the Italian industry.

During the years of the economic boom, Italy was the hub of design and the production of high-quality furniture, and this furniture factory was one of the leading names on this scene. Thanks to the skill of local craftsmen and the collaboration with established designers, the company produced furniture that was appreciated both in Italy and abroad. Its collections embodied the taste and elegance of Italian design, and the brand soon became known for its craftsmanship and attention to detail, values that have always characterised ‘Made in Italy’.

As time went by, however, international competition and changes in the market began to erode the company’s stability. Globalisation, the growth of foreign competitors and the difficulty of maintaining the same production levels led the furniture factory into a slow decline. The situation worsened in the 2000s, when the already struggling company closed its doors for good.

CARTIERA SOTTRICI BINDA [IT]

Exploration #255 Cartiera Sottrici Binda. The former Binda paper mill in Vaprio d’Adda was founded in 1890 by the Binda family, active in the production of paper, and was one of the most important industrial companies in the area in the late 19th and early 20th century. The strategic location along the Adda river was ideal for industrial activity, as the river provided the water power needed to drive the paper mill machinery.

The surrounding area was already well known for its industrial activities, thanks to the presence of the Naviglio della Martesana canal and the Edison hydroelectric power plant in Vaprio d’Adda. In its peak years, the Binda paper mill employed many people in the area, contributing significantly to the economic development of the area. Every Vaprio family had at least one member employed at the paper mill or at the nearby Velvis velvet mill.

Production ranged from paper for notebooks, registers, envelopes and drawing sheets, to the manufacture of decorative paper for plastic laminates, which began in 1956 and became the product of excellence. However, as the years went by, the crisis in the paper industry and increasing competition led to a gradual reduction in the mill’s activities. Following several changes of ownership, the mill was finally closed in 2007 under the management of the Finnish Munksjö Paper.

CARTIERA VITA MAYER [IT]

Exploration #254 Cartiera Vita Mayer. Paper production along the Olona valley was already present in the 1700s. One of the oldest paper mills was located in Lonate Ceppino and became Cartiera Enrico Vita & C. in 1897. The management was then passed on to the sons who expanded it with new buildings and machinery; a few years later, with the marriage between Tilde Vita and Sally Mayer, a member of an important industrial family from Turin, the name became the definitive and famous name of Cartiera Vita & Mayer. The paper mill developed further, also thanks to the creation of the Valmorea railway which passed close to the factory: in 1908 it was already employing 440 people and producing 6,000 t of paper a year.

It was hit several times by violent floods of the Olona river (1908, 1911 and 1917), but this did not slow down its growth: a new renewal of the machinery took place during the First World War, and in the 20s and 30s new huge buildings and a vocational school for the training of employees were built. In 1937, a paper pulp plant (8,000 t per annum) came into operation, but the following year the Mayers, a Jewish family, were forced to emigrate because of the racial laws, and ownership of the industry passed to the government.

Once the war was over, the Mayers took back the paper mill and launched a grandiose renovation plan: between that year and 1949 the factory was enlarged with new, huge pavilions, and a power station was built on the hill above it, with a soaring concrete chimney that still marks its presence today. Despite the severe flooding in 1951, the following year a large plot of land to the south of the factory was purchased, where a new factory was erected, which took the name of Cartiera ViMa, which we will report on in another exploration.

The 1950s and 1960s were the golden years: there were 2,500 employees and six goods trains ran to and from the factory every day. Production of paper for hygienic products began (1957) and two adjacent companies located in Fagnano Olona, Cartiera Sterzi and Sacchettificio Bisson & C., were purchased and renamed Cartiera Aquila.
The crisis, due to competition from Eastern European countries and the shortage of timber, began in 1971. Agreements with the government to save the company were a failure: only 2 million lire were obtained instead of the 6 million requested, and in exchange Vita Mayer had to take over a number of paper mills in central and southern Italy, whose economic situation was even worse. As it was no longer economically viable to continue the service, the Valle Olona railway closed in 1976, which, together with two violent floods (11 June 1975 and 1 October 1976), dealt the company the final blow. The two mills were finally closed on 11 August 1977.

Since then, the cartiera Vita Mayer paper mill has remained in a state of total disrepair and nature has been able to take over many of the buildings. Partial redevelopment work began in 2017, involving the disposal of asbestos and the demolition of some buildings, leading to a future clean-up of the area. The work is currently (2021) still stopped (source: wikipedia).