At Triennale of Milan, Generali presents The Age of the Lion, the history of the Company from 1831 to the third millennium

On 25 January 2017, Assicurazioni Generali presented the new edition of “The Age of the Lion” to over 500 university students at Triennale of Milan. The volume gives a pictorial account of the nearly-bicentennial history of Generali – one of the greatest insurance companies in the world. The presentation – by Generali Chairman, Gabriele Galateri di Genola, Generali Director of Communications and Institutional Relations, Simone Bemporad, and the Chairman of the association “Friends of the Triennale” Elena Tettamanti – took place at the same time as students of Milan’s main universities were handed “Friends of the Triennale” cards.

The initiative gives young people free entry to Triennale exhibitions and activities, facilitating access to cultural education on design, architecture and contemporary art, in line with the aims of the community of Friends.

The new edition of “The Age of the Lion” features a fresh design and an additional content to the previous editions of 2002 and 2007, with a foreword by Paolo Rumiz and an afterword by Paolo Possamai. Its aim is to tell the story of the events and the people that have made their mark on Generali’s history from 1831 to the present day – with the addition of a ‘Portraits’ section of the Company’s people and numerous in-depth articles.

Throughout the book, Generali’s story is interwoven with Italian and world history through a network of references and interconnections. Accounts of business life are accompanied by contemporary photos of political events and wars, scientific discoveries and geographical explorations, cultural events, adverts, cartoons and sporting achievements.

The volume also focuses on Generali’s non-financial activities, bringing to life lesser-known aspects of the company, such as its historic properties, agricultural activities, and promotion of the arts.

As Chairman Gabriele Galateri di Genola writes in the introduction: “Insurance was a great invention on the part of the trading bourgeoisie, an innovation that greatly contributed to the economic development of the Western world and to the bettering of its quality of life as well as to that of the rest of the world. We believe the adventures of these inventors are worth talking about.”

Generali supports the free-entry initiative, which has been taken up by thousands of students and demonstrates the positive impact of collaboration between the Triennale and private institutions, all as part of projects undertaken by the “Friends of the Triennale”. In addition, it provides an opportunity to spread awareness about the cultural and historical impact of Generali, which has played its role in Italy and across Europe for nearly two centuries.

The Age of the Lion is also available in digital format, both in English and Italian (“Il Tempo del Leone”). View and download the free e-book from the App Store, Google Play or the website www.generali.com.