The Nicolis Museum tells the history of technology and design.
Culture, beauty, experience, fun, meetings: the Nicolis Museum in Verona showcases the surprising testimonies of contemporary society. A combination of history, passion, and design. Among the most exciting and evocative private exhibitions on the international scene, the Nicolis Museum tells the history of technology and design in the Twentieth century. Its excellence has been recognized with one of the most coveted and prestigious awards in the world of classic cars: the Museum of the Year 2018 by The Historic Motoring Awards, assigned by a qualified international jury.
The Nicolis Museum offers exclusive 20th century mechanical jewels in a spectacular itinerary, new and sophisticated collections, and milestones of the most effervescent creative genius. A treasure trove of rare masterpieces of mechanics and style, the result of the inspiration of eclectic designers, with glorious brands such as Alfa Romeo, Avions Voisin, Bugatti, Darracq, Ferrari, Isotta Fraschini, Lancia, Maserati, and Rolls-Royce.
The creation of the Museum is credited to Luciano Nicolis’ great passion, reflecting the story of a life that found its place in a 6000 sq meters exhibition space in the year 2000, the year of its inauguration. His masterpieces have been divided into ten different collections: over 200 vintage cars, 110 bicycles, 100 motorcycles; 500 cameras and cinemas, 100 musical instruments and jukeboxes, 100 typewriters, aircrafts, a military area with memorabilia from the First and Second World War and models of trains, planes, and cars. A rare collection of over 100 steering wheels from sophisticated Formula 1 single-seaters and racing, touring and sport cars. Countless works of human genius exhibited according to anthological, historical, and stylistic itineraries. A Widespread Museum that allows the public to discover Man’s inventions and to see them in every possible iteration with infinite interpretations.
Corporate culture and Brand Heritage
It is no coincidence that the Nicolis Museum is unique in its kind and is considered as emblematic of modern business culture. Its beginning dates back to 1934, when Francesco Nicolis, Luciano’s father, with an eye for saving and a gift of acute intelligence, decides to collect what others throw away: wastepaper. Under the influence of his son Luciano, the business expands rapidly and, at the beginning of the 1960s, further momentum transforms the family business into a company called Lamacart, specialized in paper recovery, a point of reference in the international environmental services sector. The same concept of “collect and reuse” have fueled Luciano Nicolis’ very selective passion for collecting, allowing him to understand the value of refined intellectual products temporarily forgotten and considered worthless. A tireless work of research that has led him around the world to track down and recover vintage cars and other precious artifacts, to restore them and bring them back to their ancient splendor: a passion that has returned an otherwise lost heritage to history, making it available to the community.
The talent of its founder only partially explains the success that the Nicolis museum has had over the years; the basis of its success is, actually, its entrepreneurial management style, entrusted since its opening to Silvia Nicolis, President of the Museum, who has focused on the promotion of Culture, Tourism and the enhancement of the Territory.
Mechanical jewels, exclusive and sophisticated collections exposed in the Nicolis museum are a witness of history of tecnology, design and creative inspiration of the 20th century.
Carlo De Bernardi
