The Pesenti family, originally from the Val Brembana, had already been operating a “cartara” and other modest factories in Alzano Sopra since the 18th century, a proto-industrial base for the pioneering production of hydraulic lime and “cementini” promoted by the young and brilliant brothers Carlo, Luigi, Augusto, Pietro, Daniele and Cesare Pesenti. After the passing of their father Antonio, Pietro – a chemistry graduate – had the intuition to fire some local marly rocks and, in 1877, formed the Ditta Cementi e Calci Idrauliche f.lli Pesenti fu Antonio. In 1906, rapid development led to the merger with the competing Società Italiana Cementi e Calci Idrauliche, founded by G. Piccinelli (Scanzo, 1864). Leadership remained in the hands of the Pesenti family, who changed the company’s name to Italcementi in 1927. In the 19th century, production underwent a great evolution thanks to the generosity of the deposits in the hills around Alzano, Nese, Nembro, Pradalunga and Albino, and to the technological-scientific impulse, fruit of the collaboration between engineer Cesare Pesenti, a graduate of the Aachen Polytechnic School (1879), and chemist Cesare Zamboni.
The “Officina Pesenti per la Produzione del Portland”, which later became the former Cementificio Italcementi, took form from the ancient pre-existing constructions. One of the first Italian buildings to be listed as Industrial Archaeology, it is referred to as the “Cement Monument”. Having been expanded over the years by reinforced concrete sections, introduced from France by Cesare Pesenti, it consists of two distinct blocks – one with a strong production character remains almost unchanged whilst the other, known as Moresco, retains its original layout with a loggia.
Industrial fervour gave the Pesenti family a new status. They held institutional positions and became benefactors, carrying out important artistic patronage. Their villas in Alzano, designed by Architect Virginio Muzio in keeping with modern upper-class European taste, are true ‘manifestos’ of the potential of Pesenti cements, applied here in multiple ornamental variations. Examples include: Villa Augusto Pesenti (known as Villa Camilla) with its Art Nouveau-style “conservatory-salon”; Villa Carlo Pesenti in Montecchio with its beautiful neo-Gothic Oratory (the first Italian building completely made of white concrete); Villa Luigi Pesenti (formerly the Palazzo Pelliccioli del Portone, now the Town Hall); Villa Daniele Pesenti (known as Villa Paglia); and Villa Giusi Pesenti Calvi (Belvedere).