Interactive Timeline

First Period

The origins

From an idea to the foundation of Generali

1804
1804

The Bora inspires the birth of Generali

The wind that has battered Trieste since time immemorial and the rough seas bring to light the importance of a solid insurance company. A few years later, Generali is born.

1831
1831

Debuts at La Scala in Milan - and in Trieste

December 26th sees Bellini’s La Norma open at La Scala. The very same day, Assicurazioni Generali Austro-Italiche is founded in Trieste.

1832

The first president

Giovanni Cristoforo Ritter de Záhony becomes Generali’s first president. The company’s head office is established in Trieste while the Venice office heads up operations in the region of Veneto.

1833
1833

Rapid expansion

The first decade sees Generali open offices in every state of Italy; in all the major hubs of the empire, from Vienna to Pest; and in all of Europe’s busiest ports.

1835
1835

A long vacancy

Following bitter disagreement with an important legal consultant, Generali president Giovanni Battista de Rosmini steps down. The role of president remains empty, later to be abolished until 1909.

1836
1836

The phoenix rises from the ashes

December 1836, Venice’s famed La Fenice (The Phoenix) Theatre is devastated by fire, but the indemnification from Generali allows reconstruction work to begin immediately. Just twelve months later, the curtain of La Fenice rises again.

1837-1841
1837-1841

Italy: many states, many problems

The fragmentation of the Italian peninsular into many states shunts, and in some cases, halts completely the development of Generali, all too often rendered inoperative.

1848
1848

Revolution. Also for Generali

The uprisings of 1848 embroil not just Milan but Venice too. Amid all this, the Republic of San Marco is born, with the backing of a large number of Generali’s main players.

1848
1848

A new name

After the turmoil the company drops the adjective ‘Austro-Italiche’ and becomes simply ‘Assicurazioni Generali’, and the imperial eagle on the logo prepares to give way to the lion.

Credits

The images that appear in this timeline are reproduced from and also appear in ‘The Time of the Lion’ (Generali, 2015) or from public domain. Generali would like to thank once again all those who have contributed to the wealth of imagery in this book. The images that appear in this timeline are from the following sources:

1804 - The Bora inspires the birth of Generali
Storm Occurring in Trieste on Boxing Day in the Year 1831 at Two in the Afternoon - Anonymous- courtesy of Civici Musei di Storia ed Arte - Quadreria, inv. 14/2985, Trieste