Founded in 1932, the Museo Nazionale dell’Automobile is one of the most famous tech and science museums in the world. Major architectural refurbishment in 2011 lent it a contemporary, futuristic look. In 2013 The Times included it in its list of the 50 best museums in the world, stressing its educational and scientific nature. Since 2014, thanks to the new digital technologies, free open Wi-Fi and a dedicated App, the Mauto is able to provide visitors with a wealth of data - collected and indexed over the years – historical analysis, archived images as well as data sheets on cars and coachwork that can be consulted during the visit on personal smartphones. Among the rarest and most interesting of its kind, the museum’s collection includes more than 200 original cars of 80 different brands. Thirty sections provide the visitor with a clear narrative journey from the beginnings to our own day. Vehicles that haven’t found a place among the main exhibits may be visited (on prior reservation) in the refurbished Open Garage that accommodate the workshop and centre of restoration where cars can be serviced, restored and preserved. From the Open Garage to the section dedicated to Design, completely refurbished with spectacular analyses aimed at promoting a broader understanding of car design and how it has evolved; from the Learning Centre, where the youngest among us can learn by playing, to the area that hosts the temporary exhibitions dedicated to creativity in all its aspects; from the Congress Centre to the Bookshop and the Cafeteria-Restaurant. The Mauto is a space to be shared, a workshop of ideas and partnerships, an interactive, instructive, participatory, creative, leading edge museum. Lively, captivating staging combined with thorough thematic analysis makes the Museum a place, not just to visit but to hang out at.
