Saved from a judicial auction, the former Olivetti factory in Marcianise, once a key driving force of industry in the Caserta area, is on its way to becoming a piece of industrial archaeology.
The Regional Commission for Cultural Heritage of Campania has in fact declared the industrial complex as an asset of particularly important cultural interest with a specific decree, accepting the proposal put forward by the Superintendency of Cultural Heritage of Caserta and Benevento, in turn requested by the ASI Consortium (Industrial Development Area) of Caserta.
Asi President Raffaela Pignetti had written a first time in February 2023 to the Superintendency asking to start the process for the declaration of cultural interest of the former Olivetti factory, then she had sent a second letter and had turned to the Minister of Culture Sangiuliano, and so a few months ago the process that led to the recognition of the cultural interest of the property began.
Pignetti is satisfied, according to whom "the declaration of cultural interest for the Ex Olivetti safeguards the exceptional value of a property of historical importance, which proudly remains protected for the benefit of the community.
The protection of the archaeological-industrial heritage, environmental recovery and the relaunch of the industrial area are the absolute priorities that this administration has given itself”: The former Olivetti factory, designed by architects Marco Zanuso and Eduardo Vittoria and completed in 1970, extends over a total area of 500.000 square meters, of which only about 60.000 are covered.
The industrial complex has been considered among the works of contemporary architecture of particular testimonial value for the history of technology and for the innovative methodologies implemented, as well as strongly representative of the industry of the time.
The former Olivetti factory then changed hands between various industrial groups, to be finally decommissioned in 2010 after the bankruptcy of the last industrial group to have acquired it.
Since then it has been progressively emptied of everything that could be removed, as reported by Pignetti herself to the Superintendency, and even the Italian pine park designed by landscape architect Pietro Porcinai was destroyed.
