Museum
An integral part of our company
Secondo Mona is deeply committed to the world of aviation and to preserving its company heritage
Secondo Mona was founded in Somma Lombardo, in the province of Varese, in 1903, on the initiative of the young Secondo, a skilled mechanic. Initially, it was a small workshop on the Sempione road (the route from Milan to Paris) selling and repairing bicycles and motorcycles; then, with the arrival in the area of the first aviation pioneers at Cascina Malpensa and the start of the very first aviation activities, Secondo Mona had the opportunity to meet Gianni Caproni and the other pioneers at the early airfields, lending his mechanical expertise to the raising aviation industry. A story that has continued uninterrupted ever since …
For over 30 years, Secondo Mona has been collecting and promoting its historical heritage through the archiving, cataloguing, restoration and conservation of its products and historical documents.
Furthermore, since 2010, a collaboration has been underway with the Visconti Foundation in San Vito di Somma Lombardo to organise aviation-themed conferences, recounting the achievements of important manufacturers, designers and aviators of the past who made Italian aviation great.
Over the years, many exhibits have been organised in a dedicated area within the company and have been opened to visitors during corporate events.
This space houses over 500 items and recounts the history and evolution of the production lines that have succeeded one another at Secondo Mona, from the early years dedicated to bicycles and motorcycles to the subsequent years when the company moved in 1913, into the maintenance and production of engines for the nascent aviation industry, and then on to the design of on-board equipment for aircraft since 1923.
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Over the course of its history, the company has also supported the sports car industry and the competitive boat racing sector.
For certain periods, other types of production were undertaken, such as machinery for the footwear industry, machinery for cork processing, printing machinery, mechanical components for early computers, and whatever else the entrepreneur’s ingenuity and ability to adapt to the market and the circumstances of the time allowed.
Today, following the refurbishment of an area of the old factory that is accessible from the outside, including for people with disabilities, many of the pieces in the collection are housed in a space suitable for visits, including by external visitors by appointment.
With this new exhibition space, equipped with 12 display cases, the company aims to replicate the experience organised in 2023 for the company’s 120th anniversary Family Day, during which all employees and their families were given the opportunity to visit the company’s internal premises where the Museum was set up.
Further examples of our production are on public display in Italy’s leading aviation museums, such as Volandia – Flight Park and Museum in Somma Lombardo (Milan Malpensa Airport), the Italian Air Force Historical Museum in Vigna di Valle (Lake Bracciano, Rome) and the ‘Gianni Caproni’ Aviation Museum in Trento.
Today, with this new space and all the associated facilities, as well as the appointment of a dedicated team, Secondo Mona Museum can be visit both physically and virtually.
Museum Secondo Mona
Virtual tour of the museum
Secondo Mona – Historic documentary
Book “L’Officina del Cielo”
Secondo Mona – Historical research
The Secondo Mona Museum is located within the company premises at Via Carlo del Prete 1 in Somma Lombardo and can be visited visited by reservation one day a month (except for July and August), from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Access to the museum is limited to a maximum of 20 people at a time.
The museum can only be visited when accompanied by our guides, and visits are organized for a minimum of 5 people.
The tour lasts up to one hour, and photography inside the museum is not permitted.
Special visits for groups can be arranged upon request.
Book your visit for the first Saturday of the month
Photo Gallery
1903
Founded by Mr. Secondo Mona in Somma Lombardo, northern Italy, close to the actual Milan Malpensa International Airport.
1913
Secondo Mona meets with the Italian aviation pioneers community and turns the business into a factory for the repair and maintenance of engines on the first aeroplanes.
