Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese reopens

The Alfisti had to wait four long years, but Alfa Romeo has at last reopened its museum in Arese, Italy. On display are numerous icons and racing legends from 105 years of the brand’s history, along with some rare models and little-known prototypes.

In 1976, the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese opened, and became a place of pilgrimage for Italian car fans around the world

In 1976, the Alfa Romeo Museum in Arese near Milan opened, and became a place of pilgrimage for Italian car fans around the world. Since the early 1960s, Alfa Romeo had been gathering the most historically valuable specimens from the brand’s history to make them accessible to the public but, in 2011, the plant in Arese ceased production and the museum was closed. The collection fell into a deep sleep, while the Alfisti community waited patiently for news. The end of June 2015 saw the Alfa Romeo museum finally reopen its doors, following a careful restoration. The new museum bears the evocative nickname ‘La macchina del tempo’ and is part of a major brand centre, which also includes a test track and a showroom.

A unique collection

However, the main attraction is the collection of 69 Alfa Romeos, which can be seen in the generous and modern design museum. The spectrum includes the very early racing cars, such as the Alfa 6C 1750 Gran Sport with which Tazio Nuvolari won the Mille Miglia and the Gran Premio 159 ‘Alfetta’ that took Juan Manuel Fangio to victory in the Formula 1 World Championship. Visitors can marvel at the elegant body forms of the Touring Alfa 8C or admire the curves and lines of the Alfa concept cars that Bertone designed in the 1960s – such as the Carabo and Iguana. And of course, you’ll find Alfa Romeo’s ‘Greatest Hits’ – from the Giulietta Spider of the 1950s through the GTV, to the newer models in the brand’s history.

Retold - the story of Alfa Romeo

The exhibits are split into three categories. The first is ‘Timeline’, 19 models that – according to the curators – best illustrate the development of the brand and show how Alfa Romeo became an Italian legend. On the ground floor, you find the great divas displayed under the title ‘Beauty’, exhibiting the work of the best design houses, such as Touring, and showing how their work helped shaped the future of Alfa Romeo. Meanwhile, in the basement, you find the models that capture Alfa’s racing history, displayed under the slogan of ‘Speed’.