Page 2.3 - the alfa romeo museum in arese - please scroll down
My brother and I, recently had the pleasure of travelling to Italy, expressly with the aim of visiting the Alfa Romeo Museum. The museum is in Arese ...a town of course now closely associated with Alfa Romeo, and just ten kilometres or so, northwest of the city of Milan.
March 24th 2004. We had pre-booked our visit to the Museo Storico some two weeks before our trip to Milan, as advised by the museum. After some lunch, we took a taxi from the centre of the city, arriving at the Alfa Romeo campus some 30 minutes or so later. After checking in with the security guard - who requested we surrender one of our passports - we were given directions for a short walk along an inclined road that led us to the museum.
The building itself is situated in front of the executive offices of the company, and other than a lady on reception, and one other gentleman visitor, we were left to our own devices to view the stunning exhibits on display. Cameras, tripods and flashguns were soon put to use, as we toured the museum floor by floor for the next two and a half hours. It could have been two and half minutes, as time seemed to evaporate ...such was the pleasure and delight in both viewing and photographing the stunning exhibits!
To see the photographs we shot during this visit, please go to Photo Gallery II & III on the main Galleries page, here on Alfa Legend.
Officially inaugurated in December 1976, the 'Alfa Romeo Historical Museum' covers an area of 4800 square metres, and is divided into six floors, and four main sections.
The first section is devoted to production and competition cars, and includes one hundred cars, two chassis, and twenty two engines. The exhibition is arranged in chronological order - and in order to emphasize the close links between the evolution of the motor car and changes in the Italian way of life, each exhibit is accompanied by a wealth of documentation, including photographs, and copies of period advertising, which enables the museum visitor to place each car in it's correct historical context.
The second section is devoted to design and "dream cars", and eleven cars are on display. Alfa Romeo's participation in the aviation industry forms the subject matter of the third section, which houses fourteen aircraft engines, and one aeroplane. The forth section, located on the mezzanine floor above the main entrance, is devoted to models of Alfa Romeo cars, and the numerous trophies won by works drivers in over eighty years of motor sport.
We really enjoyed the time we spent in the Museo Storico Alfa Romeo, and if you're a fan of Alfa Romeo cars, and its history, this museum is a 'must see' visit! The museum is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 09:00am - 12:30pm and from 14:00pm - 16:30pm. As previously mentioned, visits must be booked at least two weeks in advance.
