The Piemonte traces its origins to the early 1900s, when INLM commissioned Escher Wyss & C. in Zurich to build two iron, paddle-wheel “saloon” steamers, each capable of carrying 500 passengers. The Francia entered service in 1903, followed in 1904 by the Regina Madre, a 48.5-metre vessel equipped with a steam engine. After the 1943 armistice, it was renamed Piemonte. It remained in service until 1948 and later underwent a series of upgrades, including the conversion from coal to fuel oil. In the 1960s it was restored in Arona. Today it is fitted with modern boilers that faithfully replicate the originals, while key historic features, such as the paddle wheels and the 1903 steam engine, have been preserved intact.
