Company museums are the narrative of the moment in which ingenuity reaches the complete realisation of its purpose, and have the task of guarding and handing down the consciousness of the company of which they are an emanation.
What a company museum is
In company museums, unlike in traditional ones, the importance lies not so much in the assets held (though of great value), but in the message that these assets communicate.
This is why every museum is unique, as unique as the story it tells. Entrepreneurial culture and background therefore, but also evidence of the evolution of society: if companies, by their nature, respond to the needs of a society, company museums are able to return glimpses of past and present social life with extreme vividness.
The products and services that lead a company to success are the outcome of its resources.
Ideas, creativity, intuition, ingenuity constitute the entrepreneurial culture around which a company is born and thrives.
Company museums are the place where this culture is preserved and enhanced, in a balanced blend of tradition, experience and innovation; they are increasing constantly and spark an ever growing interest also thanks to often sophisticated set-ups that accompany the visitor on emotional and engaging journeys.
It is as if the museum experience were amplified, because it combines the pleasure of discovering the excellence of know-how with the audacity of technologies applied up to now only to areas unrelated to culture.
Last, but not least, we must highlight their importance for their function of research, conservation, preservation and transmission of a company's tangible and intangible heritage.
Telling a company’s story
An intangible heritage, a Real-e museum
Reale Mutua entrusts its museum with the task of telling its own story and Italy’s last 192 years. Through the exhibition of archive materials enhanced by a multimedia set-up, the visit experience develops on several levels: the main register, the heading, the one that runs parallel to the 'Great History'.
So here is Italy divided and under the influence of European powers in the year of the signing of the Royal Patents which sanctioned the birth of the Company; the wars of Independence, which led to national unity, and which Reale Mutua supported economically; the opening of new agencies on the national territory after the proclamation of a United Italy.
And again, participation in the Universal Exhibitions of the early 1900s as a company active in Italian economic life; World War I, when Reale Mutua stood out for its solidarity initiatives in favour of soldiers and their families, and made repeated donations to the Red Cross and to many local and national associations and charities.
The cancellation of the coat of arms and the denomination 'Reale' (Royal) following a decree from the Republic of Salò and the very difficult years of World War II, when substantial losses and increased risks had to be faced, both by the company and by the 338 employees, who maintained operations despite the bombings and the displacement of offices outside Turin.
The post-war rebirth and economic boom; the cyclical crises of the 80s and 90s.
Up until the recent years, when Reale Mutua, having become the head of an international Group, stands out for its sustainable strategy, guided by mutualistic principles, global, business integrated and inclusive. And then there is the chorus, the note from the heart: the policies of the Members/Insured, amongst whom many great historical figures stand out, first and foremost King Carlo Felice of Savoy, who, by insuring Palazzo Chiablese, signed Reale Mutua's policy No. 1.
Personal stories that, running parallel to the 'Great Story', are snapshots that allow us to experience the daily life of our national past almost first hand.