Museo del Calcolatore Laura Tellini

The Museo del Calcolatore Laura Tellini in Prato presents the history of calculation and computing through machines, documentation and software-era objects. Its origins in a technical school give the collection a strong educational identity.

Why it matters

The museum connects mechanical calculation with the development of electronic computers and personal computing. Preserving manuals and advertising alongside hardware places technical change within the workplaces and consumer culture that adopted it.

What to notice

Olivetti machines represent the Italian contribution to calculation and office technology. IBM, Honeywell, Texas Instruments and Apple objects broaden the account, while historic games consoles show another use of computing. Manuals and the advertising archive record how machines were explained, maintained and promoted.

Context and history

The project began in 1996 at the Istituto Tecnico Statale Paolo Dagomari. An online collection preceded the permanent physical exhibition established in 2011. The museum is dedicated to Laura Tellini, a teacher and colleague of its founders who died that year before the physical inauguration. The collection developed through volunteer work, joining the preservation of equipment with the history of technical education.