Enrico Pecori (1854-1941), from a noble Tuscan family, was fascinated by mechanisms and their detailed functioning since his youth; so much so that, when he was just 20 years old, he opened a watch workshop in Como. Attracted by the new means of transportation that were beginning to appear, he was one of the first “velocipede” drivers to circulate on the roads of Lombardy, and a founding partner of Unione Velocipedisti Italiani and of the Italian Touring Club. This passion prompted him to study the possibility of building a small self-propelled vehicle. After about two years of tests, he succeeded in completing his steam tricycle, which in 1891 obtained a regular approval to circulate by the Prefectural committee in Como. In the following years, he frequently used it, spreading confusion and also a little bit of envy among his fellow citizens. He was an important person for the local administration: thanks to him the town of Caslino d’Erba obtained its drinking water treatment plant and electrical street lighting system. His son Augusto, thanks to whom the tricycle was donated to the Museum, was the owner of the first car of the area.
