Electric landscapes between territory, architecture, and culture
In just two decades, between the 19th and 20th centuries, the combination of electricity and modernity transformed both the national territory and Italian society as a whole. Supported by technological progress and major financial investment, the electrification of the country gave rise to new urban behaviors and also rapidly changed the shape of cities. In just a few years, new landscapes appeared and the relationship between engineering and architecture, between the representation of modernity and tradition, and between functional needs and environmental protection changed.
In this process, which has affected every aspect of 20th-century society, hydroelectric power plants are much more than simple energy production sites. Over time, they have become cultural symbols and environmental landmarks, places of encounter and dialogue with local communities. Italgen, the green energy company of the Italmobiliare Group, has been able to enhance some of its plants over time, promoting constant exchange and mutual enrichment with the territories in which it operates.
The Italgen power plant in Vaprio d'Adda is one of the most significant 
symbols of this philosophy. Nestled between the Martesana canal and the Adda river, it was built between1947 and 1951 to a design by the famous architect Piero Portaluppi, who gave the building a solemn, almost sacred style. Portaluppi's signature can be seen in stylistic elements such as the large portal emphasized by the pink stone frame, the triangular tympanum, and the 10 cubes that adorn the façade. In this place, dialogue with the local area takes shape through concrete initiatives, the most emblematic of which is the collaboration with FAI - Fondo per l'Ambiente Italiano (Italian Environment Fund), which began in 2019. The FAI Autumn Days have become a regular event, attracting thousands of visitors curious to explore the power plant, discover its history, and learn more about how renewable energy is produced. In the first two editions alone, over two thousand people visited the Vaprio power plant. Italgen tells FAI visitors that the hydroelectric plant is the hub of a network of relationships and shows, in concrete terms, that the production plant not only creates the physical energy distribution network, but also an invisible web of ideas, projects, and stories that bring together engineers and architects, decorators and writers, great works of art, and environmental monuments..
In addition to the FAI Days, Italgen carries out numerous other activities involving local stakeholders. Particularly appreciated are the projects with schools, which every year involve hundreds of children in educational visits to the power plants, where they learn in a practical way how clean and responsible energy is produced. Direct involvement with young people does not stop there: the decades-long collaboration with UNICEF allows groups of students to participate in educational and training excursions in nature, with activities aimed at raising environmental awareness and providing in-depth knowledge of the local areas. The experience of these visits is enhanced by the particular approach chosen by Italgen: it is the employees themselves, motivated by passion and pride in their work, who guide the visitors. Although unconventional, this choice creates a genuine bond with local communities, transforming visits into opportunities for direct exchange and mutual enrichment.
The photovoltaic plant built by Italgen in Modugno (BA) is also deeply connected to the territory and the community that inhabits it, born from the reclamation and redevelopment of a former limestone quarry. Italgen, the owner of the area, built the photovoltaic park on approximately 6 hectares of land once occupied by industrial plants, without any new land consumption, and donated over 20 hectares to the municipality for the creation of a nature area for public use, increasing Modugno's green space fivefold. As part of the project, Italgen also built a cycle and footpath through the nature area and a viewpoint overlooking the lake in the former quarry, and financed the creation of a mural dedicated to nature. The entire project arose from the need not only to create a new production facility, but also to provide the community with a means of learning and engaging in transparent dialogue on land use, with a commitment to quality that goes beyond mere profit.
Italgen's cultural initiatives testify to the importance of connections, demonstrating that culture and energy production can coexist and reinforce each other. Through dialogue and interaction with the local area and its people, the company creates authentic and deep bonds, transforming energy production into an opportunity for cultural and social development.