Museo Ferroviario Piemontese Sommeiller-Grandis-Grattoni

The Sommeiller–Grandis–Grattoni Piedmont Railway Museum in Savigliano preserves historic locomotives, railway vehicles and equipment in the former Ospizio dei Ferrovieri.

Why it matters

The museum reflects Savigliano's railway heritage and the wider history of rail engineering in Piedmont. Its name honours Germain Sommeiller, Sebastiano Grandis and Severino Grattoni, engineers associated with the Fréjus rail tunnel project, which linked the region with the Alpine railway network.

What to notice

Locomotives powered by steam, three-phase electric current and diesel illustrate successive eras of railway technology. The outdoor collection is arranged around a 1920s turntable. Indoor displays include period equipment, scale models, railway dioramas, inspection vehicles and books documenting railway history.

Context and history

The museum was inaugurated in Savigliano on 8 December 2001 and is run by the Associazione Saviglianese Amici del Museo Ferroviario. Its setting in the former Ospizio dei Ferrovieri connects the collection with the social history of railway workers. Many of the vehicles arrived after long periods of abandonment and remain part of an ongoing conservation effort.