The Manzoniana Walk, a timeless event
26 July 2025
The Fim of Premana: the iron heart of Valvarrone between industrial archaeology and working-class memory
by Maurizio Sala
No, “the Fim” has nothing to do with the well-known metalworkers' union: here we are in Forni Valley, in the heart of the Valvarrone, and the acronym evokes much more. We are talking about the Premana's most important and best-preserved historical steelmaking centre, a mountain industrial site dating back to the second half of the 18th century, when iron was not just a resource, but a vocation that forged identity, community and economic development.
I remnants of Fim - accessible by following the hiking route up the Valle dei Forni, just beyond the modern industrial area of the village - still offer an authentic glimpse into what was once a small but efficient Alpine metallurgical district. Set amidst the steep slopes and lush greenery of the valley, stone buildings they stand as silent witnesses to a time when industry walked barefoot among the stones, but with forward-looking vision.
Visitors can observe the ancient forges, largely recognisable in structure and layout, together with the remains of the hydraulic mill harnessing the energy of the Varrone stream. A canal, recently restored with philological care, bears witness to the ingenious water conveyance system: a small masterpiece of mountain hydraulics that powered the driving wheels, the beating heart of a local continuous cycle production.
Here, in the late 18th and early 19th century, iron from the mines of Alta Valsassina and Val Gerola was processed. The ore, transported by mule, was smelted and processed on site to produce agricultural implements, tools, nails, blades and metal components, intended for both the local and, in part, the Lombardy market.
With the arrival of the industrial revolution and the progressive shift of the iron and steel industry towards the plains and cities, Fim also experienced a slow decline, until it was finally abandoned in the first half of the 20th century. But Premana's metallurgical identity was never extinguished: indeed, from these roots sprouted the current vocation for the production of scissors and knives, which still today makes the village internationally renowned.
The Fim, therefore, is not a mere ruin, but a fundamental piece of the social and economic history of the valley. To visit it is to take a step back in time, into the strenuous everyday life of men and women who turned mountains into work and iron into the future.
A dutiful recommendation: the area, although partially restored, has unsafe structures. We therefore recommend the utmost caution and of do not enter the ruins, which have not been secured for the internal visit. The reading of this industrial landscape should be done from a distance, with respect and care, letting the stones - and the water that still flows - tell their story.
For those wishing to learn more, the Premana Ethnographic Museum offers materials, technical drawings and evidence of ironworking in the valley, completing the story of this fascinating chapter of Alpine industrial archaeology.
Fim is a place where rust is not just decay, but memory: and where the silence of the old forges speaks more than a thousand words.
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