In 1899, one hundred years after the invention of the battery, Como promoted the first major celebrations of Volta with an ambitious goal: to rival the Universal Expositions that enlivened the major European and American capitals, transforming Volta into a symbol of scientific and civil progress.
Originally planned for 1895, the Exhibition was inaugurated on 20 May 1899 in the presence of Umberto I. The architectural design, by Eugenio Linati, occupied an area stretching from Piazza Cavour to the lakeside gardens, with monumental pavilions inspired by the Empire style and columns shaped like piles, one of which served as a belvedere overlooking the city.
The First Voltian Exhibition hosted not only Volta’s memorabilia, but also the international electrical industry, the silk industry, fine arts, floriculture, Cantù crafts and an international exhibition of machinery. In the absence of an official catalogue, the periodical Como e l’Esposizione Voltiana documented the event and accompanied its progress.
On 8 July 1899, a short circuit caused a devastating fire that destroyed the pavilions and most of the exhibits, including precious Volta memorabilia. The reaction of the city and the organising committee was immediate and decisive: thus was born the project for a Second Exhibition.
In September of the same year, the Second Exhibition was inaugurated, also designed by Linati, described by contemporaries as ‘so graceful and fresh that it almost made one forget the old’. On 18 September, the royal family visited Como again; on the same day, Lorenzo Perosi’s oratorio Il Natale was performed for the first time in the Cathedral.
Important scientific conferences are held as part of the celebrations: the first National Congress of Italian Electricians and the Fêtes Voltiennes des Télégraphistes, involving Milan, Como, Bologna, Florence and Rome. In Como, a commemorative plaque is placed at the foot of the Volta Monument in Piazza Volta.
During the conferences, the Italian Electrotechnical Association and the Italian Physics Society meet. Speakers include internationally renowned scientists such as Röntgen and Van’t Hoff. During this time, a proposal is also made for a national edition of Volta’s works. Before the final fire, the Exhibition had already attracted over 100,000 visitors: a success that definitively established Volta as a central figure in modern science.
