Museo Storico del Mutuo Soccorso

Pinerolo (TO)

AM Piedmont and Aosta Valley

The Museo Storico del Mutuo Soccorso is housed in the headquarters of the Società Generale fra gli Operai di Pinerolo, the first mutual aid society in Italy. The museum recounts the activities and principles of reciprocity and solidarity, also displaying material from the archives of the old Shoemakers' Society, a precious testimony to the development of craftsmanship and the role of the workers in the social life of Pinerolo.

Parete rivestita da fitti scritti a mano illuminati da faretti; davanti, un banco da lettura in legno con opuscoli e sgabelli rossi.

The Historical Museum of Mutual Aid is housed in the historical headquarters of theAssociazione Generale Operaia Arti e Mestieri di Mutuo Soccorsofounded in Pinerolo in 1848. The museum houses flags and documents that tell the evolution of mutualism, offering concrete evidence of its development over time.

The exhibition is divided into two main sections. The first five rooms reconstruct the different aspects of the life and activities of a real Società di Mutuo Soccorso: through documents, objects, voices and sounds, the visitor is immersed in the atmosphere of the working-class world of the late 19th century, ideally assuming the role of a worker of the time.

The following rooms broaden the view, moving from Pinerolo to the surrounding area. Here, the different types of mutual societies are explored in depth, from Catholic agricultural to military, from company societies to emigrant societies, to women's mutual aid.

More than a didactic exhibition, the museum offers an immersive experience, designed to transport the visitor into the authentic spirit of Mutuo Soccorso, just as it was experienced in its early years. In each room, symbols and images of mutualism accompany the visitor, making the tour an immersive journey through the history of worker solidarity.