Why there is a snake in the Alfa Romeo logo

Red Cross

The municipal coat of arms of the city of Milan, capital of the Lombardy region. The red cross was used by the soldiers from Milan during the first of the seven crusades in the Middle Ages (around the year 1100). The white symbolizes the white undergarments of Giovanni da Rho’s soldiers.

Snake

The serpent (or dragon) is a so-called biscione, a creature that adorned the 1056 coat of arms of the noble Italian Visconti family. The second Visconti dynasty ruled Milan from 1277 to 1447. Visconti’s motto was ‘Vipereos mores non violabo’, which means ‘I will not violate the conduct of the snake’. The snake is still the symbol of Milan, Alfa Romeo’s original home, to this day, although according to the city council, the beast has nothing to do with the Visconti family. The seven coils of the serpent, called Tarantasio, could refer to the number of crusades.

With this logo from the years 1945 to 1950, the male in the mouth was very large.

Male in snake’s mouth

The meaning of the person (man or child) sticking out of the snake’s mouth is not entirely clear. According to some, it had a deterrent function, other theories go back to the serpent-dragon that terrorized Milan in the fifth century by attacking and eating children. According to the (made up) legend, the beast was defeated by Uberto, the founder of the Visconti dynasty. The person could be a Saracen, an opponent of the Christians. The unfortunate would be eaten according to one, others believe that he just emerged from the mouth of the dragon. In short: a juicy mystery.

Crown

To emphasize the royal character of the two families that together formed the Viscioniti’s, the serpent (or dragon) was given a crown on its head.

Letter (Alpha)

In 1915, during World War I, engineer and businessman Nicola Romeo bought the ALFA factory in Portello (Milan) to produce grenades for the Italian army. This was followed by aircraft engines, locomotives and other weaponry. After the war, they switched back to cars, and Romeo gave them the brand name Alfa Romeo. After protests from ALFA owners, he managed to convince the court that Alfa did not stand for ‘Societa Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili’, but that it was ‘just’ the first letter of the alphabet.

Strings

These strings are so-called Savoyard knots, a reference to the Italian royal family. In 1946 they disappeared from the logo after the fall of the monarchy and the proclamation of the republic.

Milano

The original home town of Alfa Romeo. The headquarters are now in Turin, the city of parent company Fiat.

The logo through the years

The first ALFA logo (still without Nicola Romeo’s surname, which was added in 1920) was created by Romano Catteneo, a student of designer Giuseppe Merosi. On June 24, 1910, it was recorded by Ugo Stella at the notary. Stella was director of Societa Italiana Automobili Darracq (SIAD), the predecessor of (Societa) Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili, ALFA for short, founded in 1906. Over the years, the emblem had various guises, with the letters ‘Milano’ having to clear the field in 1972 when Alfa Romeo also started building cars (the Sud) in Pomigliano d’Arco near Naples. From 1925 to 1945 it was decorated with a laurel wreath in honor of the P2 winning the world championship in Grand Prix racing. The last ‘facelift’ of the logo dates from 2015, when it became more minimalist and the vertical dividing line between the red and white coat of arms and the snake disappeared.

Also watch this video in which we explain the Alfa Romeo logo to you.