On September 17, 2026, the presentation of the “Memorie76” project took place in the Sala Predonzani at the headquarters of the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia (in Trieste). This historical reconstruction project is dedicated to the history of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and is based in part on material from the MAIRE Historical Archive (formerly FIAT Engineering).

To mark the 50th anniversary of the 1976 earthquake, in 2026 the Fondazione MAIRE – ETS signed an agreement with the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region to make unique materials from the MAIRE Historical Archive available to help preserve collective memory and highlight the Friulian model of reconstruction.

In May and September 1976, Friuli was struck by an earthquake that profoundly shaped the history of the region and the country. Fifty years after that tragedy, the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region has launched an initiative to commemorate and highlight the reconstruction effort, which is still recognized today as an exemplary model of collaboration among institutions, local communities, technical expertise, and planning capabilities.

The Fondazione MAIRE – ETS contributed to this account by providing a significant portion of the materials preserved in the MAIRE Historical Archives, a documentary heritage collection protected by the Soprintendenza Archivistica del Piemonte e della Valle d’Aosta (Archival Superintendency of Piedmont and the Aosta Valley) and now at the heart of the MAIRE Group’s heritage preservation and promotion activities, for which the Foundation is responsible.

The collection related to the reconstruction of Friuli comprises materials produced by Fiat Engineering as part of the analysis, design, intervention, and testing activities carried out following the earthquake: 550 boxes, distributed across 9 pallets, and 148 items already available in the Group’s Digital Archive; the documentation pertains to as many as 15 municipalities in Friuli. This comprehensive collection of technical drawings, surveys, photographs, reports, and structural and systems engineering documents captures not only the technical complexity of the reconstruction effort but also the functioning of a model based on the central role of municipalities and the active participation of local communities.

As part of the joint preservation agreement signed with the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, regional officials carried out several work campaigns at the MAIRE Historical Archives in Turin, digitizing an additional 3,022 files: 93 technical drawings, 49 files containing general reports, and 125 original photographs. These materials provide direct evidence of the condition of the sites during the initial emergency phase and document the subsequent planning and reconstruction efforts.

Thanks to digitization, this heritage can now be preserved, studied, and made accessible through the thematic website “Memorie di Solidarietà”, created by the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, and through our Digital Archive. This dual platform expands the possibilities for research, dissemination, and knowledge, helping to keep alive the memory of a pivotal chapter in Italian history.

Through this initiative, the Fondazione MAIRE – ETS reaffirms the value of corporate historical archives as living sources, capable of transcending the history of a single company to become tools of collective knowledge. Documents, drawings, and photographs preserved in the MAIRE Historical Archive thus speak to the present once again, helping us interpret the past and understand how expertise, responsibility, and vision can contribute to the revitalization of local communities.