The new exhibition space in the Pinacoteca Agnelli museum complex.
Casa 500, overlooking the Lingotto track, is the new museum dedicated to FIAT’s best-loved icon.
By showcasing three generations of the model that has helped shape the history of the automotive industry and which continues to inspire new ideas and lifestyles, Casa 500 paints a fresco of the history of Turin and Italy over the last 60 years, narrating the future of the FIAT brand starting from its roots: roots which themselves provide inspiration for the future.
Located on the fourth floor of the Pinacoteca Agnelli complex, the museum is an open-plan exhibition space that overlooks the test track on all sides thanks to large windows.
The exhibition trail extends for over 700 m2 and is divided into eight themed areas.
The journey begins with the Legacy area, an immersive space filled with photos and videos capturing the places and personalities that made the success of the Fiat icon possible. Made of Italy features 12 industrial products which, like the 500, have established themselves courtesy of their Italian design, which combines beauty with practicality. The Social relevance area recounts the important impact that the three generations of the 500 have had on society, while The poster collection comprises 12 posters and advertising illustrations depicting the original New 500 from 1957.
The 3 generations area is dedicated to the evolution of the 500 and its three iterations, showing how the car has remained true to itself without ever losing its enduring charisma. Digital Counter includes the interviews, communication materials, events and awards that have made the FIAT 500 an international star, while Foreseeing the future retraces the history and evolution of the Lingotto industrial complex. Finally, there is also an area for temporary exhibitions.
Respect for the environment inspired the creation of all the spaces and materials chosen for the installations, which follow the principle of the three Rs: reuse, reduce, recycle.
The exhibition is set out around a central tree made of recycled wood, which represents the continuity of history, between the roots—the past—and the future. At the foot of the tree is the master model of the historic Fiat 500.
Together with Casa 500, the largest hanging garden in Europe has been created at the Lingotto track: Pista 500, a green lung for the city of Turin, which contains over 40,000 plants in an area spanning 7,000 m2 and is now fully open to the public.
