The inauguration ceremony for the Borsalino Museum will take place on Tuesday, April 4th, 2023, at 11 am in the historic headquarters of Palazzo Borsalino in Corso Cento Cannoni 21, Alessandria to celebrate the project thanks to the collaborative initiative between the City of Alessandria and the Borsalino Foundation. April 4th, 2023 is a historic date, in fact marking the Made in Alessandria Maison’s 166th anniversary of the Foundation. This company represents the maximum expression and pinnacle of Italian excellence in the production of hats.
The project gives a new face to Palazzo Borsalino, that for almost 100 years was the official entrance to the hat manufacture and is now home to Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale, as well as the Museum. The new space, redeveloped while preserving the identity and spirit of the place, spreads over a total of 620 square meters divided as follows: 340 square meters dedicated to the Museum exhibition and 280 square meters of open and shared space for the public, with a Café and a Gift Shop. The Borsalino Museum is a project open to the world, with a mission to enhance the profound historical and cultural heritage of Alessandria, strengthening the region’s tourism attractions with its area rich in excellence.
Giorgio Abonante, Mayor of Alessandria, says: “The new layout and inauguration of the Borsalino Museum represent an opportunity for our community. It’s about enhancing and spotlighting the combination of Alessandria and the Borsalino Manufacture: the genuineness of a product that today still arises from the know-how and dexterity of the craftsmen and women who work in the Borsalino Spinetta Manufacture; the presence in Alessandria and in the surrounding area of the Alessandria- Valencia axis that focuses on the luxury market. Palazzo Borsalino is an evocative space that is not only historical but also represents the present in order to trace the horizontal lines towards our future.”
Philippe Camperio, President of the Borsalino Foundation confirmed: “This Museum preserves the memory of Borsalino and will inspire the future of the company. It has firm roots in Alessandria in the historic headquarters of Palazzo Borsalino and was conceived to be an innovative space able to dialogue with the world. My wish is that this project, born from the fruitful collaboration of the Borsalino Foundation and the three municipal council administrations that have succeeded one another in recent years, can increase an attractive tourism pull towards the city. This is what the city of Alessandria and Borsalino deserve, an incredibly strong pairing for more than 166 years.”
The Borsalino Museum is a dynamic and innovative space that accompanies visitors to discover the culture of Italian hat-making. An emotional journey that superimposes and intertwines on many levels: the story of an entrepreneurial dynasty; its territory of origin; the artisanal tradition that has been handed down from generation to generation; and, finally, the extraordinary hats that tell the story of Borsalino’s creative dialogue with art, design, fashion and, above all, cinema. The Museum exhibition is flanked by a rich multimedia system, which accompanies visitors and allows for personalized and highly experiential use.
A series of three thematic areas cover Palazzo Borsalino to unfold and story-tell the origins and birthplace, starting from 1857 up until the present day. The itinerary starts from Antica Casa, a multimedia installation that traces the main stages in the history of hat manufacturing and explores the strong link with the surrounding territory. Manifattura is the name of the area dedicated to the hat production processes, where an immersive projection area and a series of explanatory early examples and artefacts accompany the visitor into the discovery of the hat-making techniques and the unique secrets of the artisans from Alessandria. Finally, the Galleria section features a display of more than two thousand hats, organized into eight narrative itineraries for an experience like no other in the world.
The historic collection of Borsalino hats, donated in 1994 by Giovanna Usuelli Borsalino to the City of Alessandria, has now been enriched by approximately 200 new additional displayed models collected by Borsalino Foundation and made available to the Museum in order to increase and update its contemporary attractiveness and interest. The historic showcases designed by Ignazio Gardella for the Sala Campioni Borsalino stand out in the Museum’s Gallery section featuring a new lighting system, which guides visitors through eight narrative paths: Twenty Hats that Changed the World; Travel with Borsalino; Legendary Panama Hats; Borsalino and Women; Hats that Captured the Big Screen; Divine Hats; Borsalino for…; and Borsalino & Other Stories. Eighty different displayed models from collections, selected for their extraordinary artistic and narrative value, are enriched by rare anecdotes, images, and videos, accessible through the Borsalino Museum App. A complementary guide to the eight different itineraries will be collateral narratives with dedicated specific themes and will be inserted cyclically. The itinerary is completed and highlighted by themed video installations celebrating Borsalino and Cinema: A Love Story; Paper Treasures: Advertising posters of Borsalino Collections; and Origins of the Panama Borsalino Hat.
The Borsalino Museum has created thanks to the collaborative initiative between the City of Alessandria and the Borsalino Foundation, with important contributions from Regione Piemonte, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Alessandria, Fondazione CRT and Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo.
Useful Information @ borsalinomuseum.com
Opening to the Public: from April 5th, 2023
Address: Corso Cento Cannoni 21 – Alessandria, Italy
Opening Hours: from Tuesday to Sunday, from 10,00 to 19,00
Special Opening Dates: April 10th; May 1st
Price: full 12 €, reduced 10 €
Alessandria Residents: Full 8 €, Reduced 6 €
Article Edited by Stefania Abbruzzo