CID – Centro Informazione Documentazione (Information and Documentation Center)
Founded in the early 1960s to chronicle the industrial identity of Torviscosa (Udine), the Center has now evolved into a contemporary project — a living memory and a cultural engine for the region.
Currently closed for extensive renovations, CID will reopen with more accessible spaces and new visitor experiences.
The Center will be dedicated to corporate heritage, research and contemporary cultural production. It will host temporary exhibitions, open its doors to community-organized events, and offer workshops, public talks, and deep-dives into the collections and the region’s history.
This project is promoted by Fondazione Bracco and is made possible through the support of SPIN and Gruppo Bracco.
Ahead of the upcoming reopening exhibition, we are collecting testimonials and memories to help portray a shared history of the building, the region and its community — because CID is, above all, the sum of its people’s experiences.
Be part of the reopening project. Share stories, pictures, items and videos connected to the Center’s past and present.
Contact us at museocid@fondazionebracco.com
Although temporarily closed, CID remains accessible through a programme of guided tours.
The visit begins at the construction site: a chance to look beyond the barriers, understand the ongoing works and discover how a complex space — rich in artworks and collections — is being restored.
The tour then continues through the company town, including the industrial complex, the workers’ village and spaces dedicated to leisure.
We want to make the Center more welcoming, sustainable, suitable for conservation, and open to everyone. For this reason, we had to temporarily close it to the public and begin major renovations.
In this section, we’ll take you inside the CID during the renovations. A step-by-step journey toward reopening, also on our social media channels
CID stands for “Centro Informazione Documentazione.” The building was constructed between 1962 and 1963, designed by architect Cesare Pea. It was not a museum in the contemporary sense, but a representative space for SNIA Viscosa, intended to welcome business partners and present the story of Torviscosa and its textile production. In many respects, CID anticipated the contemporary model of the corporate museum.
Torviscosa was founded in 1938 as a company town, built around the SNIA Viscosa plant, then Italy’s leading company in artificial textiles. During the autarkic period, the facility was designed to produce cellulose from locally sourced raw materials, thanks to the availability of water, land and transport connections.
Today, CID preserves scale models and industrial prototypes, historical archives, a technical and scientific library, a photographic collection of SNIA Viscosa, technical drawings, artworks and archaeological finds from the local area. A body of materials that tells the productive and social history of Torviscosa.
Few people know that CID houses a monumental installation created in 1964 by artist and designer Enzo Mari: Struttura 708. The work changes with the viewer’s perspective: a frame of rods and cables suspends thin steel panels. Over time, it has deteriorated due to water infiltration. Fondazione Bracco, together with the Centro Conservazione e Restauro della Venaria Reale and the L.A.A.R. studio, has initiated preliminary studies for its restoration, also thanks to the support of Fondazione Friuli.
CID is a building of about one hundred meters in length, defined by large open interior spaces without rigid partitions. This configuration shapes its architectural identity, while also requiring a complex climate control system in both winter and summer. The original system will be replaced with more efficient air treatment technologies. These will be powered by a photovoltaic installation on the roof, combining energy efficiency with environmental sustainability. Ensuring visitor comfort is essential, but so is the preservation of the collections. Improved control of thermo-hygrometric conditions — temperature and relative humidity — will allow for higher conservation standards.
A key figure in local history, Franco Marinotti (1891–1966) was president of SNIA Viscosa and the driving force behind the company town of Torviscosa, founded between 1937 and 1938. CID was created to showcase this industrial, agricultural and social history.
While waiting for the reopening, discover our ongoing initiatives: guided tours, public events and more.
Stay updated on upcoming programs and activities.
Fondazione Bracco draws on nearly a century of history built by the Bracco Family and Group, grounded above all in corporate social responsibility. The Foundation aims to create and promote expressions of culture, art, and science as means to improve quality of life and social cohesion, with a particular focus on women and young people. Multidisciplinarity and the integration of knowledge are key criteria in both the design and selection of activities.
CID’s programs will directly reflect these principles and vision.
Bracco is a family-owned company in the Life Sciences field and a global leader in diagnostic imaging. Founded in Milan in 1927 and now present in 100 countries worldwide, the Group is at the forefront of improving people’s lives and shaping the future of prevention and precision medicine. Family businesses like Bracco are unique: they are built on the desire to create something lasting, transforming work into a shared life project. Among the values that have always guided the Group are a drive for innovation, care for employees, a commitment to culture, and a wide range of initiatives supporting female empowerment and young people.
Torviscosa is home to Bracco’s main Italian production facility: a modern industry 4.0 plant located at the heart of a region with a long-standing vocation for chemistry and manufacturing. Today, Bracco SPIN represents not only an international model of sustainable production but also one of Italy’s most successful examples of industrial archaeology — recognised by the 2012 Venice Biennale of Architecture as an emblematic case of positive “osmosis” between industry, the local community, and the environment.
CID – Centro Informazione Documentazione
Temporary closed
CID, Piazzale Marinotti, 33050, Torviscosa (Udine) Italia
