Innocenzo Manzetti at the Centre Saint-Bénin

In the old church of Saint-Bénin in Aosta, an exhibition room is devoted to Innocenzo Manzetti. Born in Aosta in 1826 and died in 1877, he was a scientist and inventor.

A nineteenth-century inventor

Manzetti is credited with an automaton (1840), a pasta machine (1857), a telephone (1864) and a steam-powered car (1864). The permanent exhibition shows his original automaton and his harmonium.

A room run by the Region

The room is in the Centre Saint-Bénin, which is owned and run by the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley. It is not called the “Manzetti Museum”. That name belongs to a private cultural association, which has its own collection and website, manzetti.eu. The association designed much of the historical section of the exhibition, but it does not run the room.

An interactive tour

Interactive screens tell his life, the historical background, his scientific interests and his inventions. A 3D animation explains how the automaton works. The place was put forward several times, from 2014 to 2022, for the FAI “Places of the Heart” campaigns (the Italian Environment Fund).

Address : ancienne église Saint-Bénin (Centre Saint-Bénin), 11100 Aoste (AO)

Telephone : +39 0165 273457

Opening hours : Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 18:30 (hours given by a directory, undated).

Admission : free admission.

Please check before your visit: hours and prices can change from one season to the next.