The electric power

With the Second Industrial Revolution, many technological innovations led Europe to excel in science and technology, also following the discovery of new sources of energy. With the invention of alternating electric current it became possible to transport energy over long distances. This new development allowed the gradual diffusion of electricity also for civil use, bringing light to houses and cities!

To satisfy this growing demand, the territory of northern Piedmont underwent great changes: in fact, with the aim of channeling water and transforming its strength into electricity, numerous buildings were built which modified the mountain landscapes. Dams, railways, hydroelectric plants, houses, and a dense network of infrastructures have changed the panorama but also the "traffic" on the mountains of northern Piedmont. The dams, daring constructions resulting from skilful planning, have blocked natural lakes and waterways.

Quarries, short railways and houses were built to find and transport the materials necessary for the construction of the dams, works which required the presence of thousands of men. The hydroelectric plants, especially those designed by the architect Piero Portaluppi for the Ettore Conti companies, were the symbol of the progress and the greatness of the company itself.

Finally, at the service of these new buildings, an important network of infrastructures was developed, which allowed motor vehicles to reach places that used to be purely natural, giving way to a new tourist development.

With this collection ITINERARIUM wants to tell an important piece of the history of northern Piedmont, focusing the attention on the theme of the transformation of the territory which, in the case of the hydroelectric development of the early 1900s, led to the erasure of the history of small Walser villages such as Morasco and Agàro, bringing electricity, on the other hand, into our homes today!