L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2025 www.italoamericano.org 16 L'Italo-Americano T h e h i s t o r y o f Salumi Negroni starts in Cremona i n 1 9 0 7 , w h e n P i e t r o N e g r o n i d e c i d e d t o c r e a t e h i s o w n salumi business. He already knew the sector well, having managed the local branch of a Brescia meat com- pany, and chose to turn that experience into an indepen- d e n t v e n t u r e . T o d o t h i s , Negroni invested in facilities on the outskirts of Cremona and worked closely with the municipality to secure slaugh- tering spaces next to the pub- lic abattoir, a sign that the firm was thinking beyond the scale of a simple family work- shop. As production grew, so did the company's importance b e y o n d L o m b a r d y . I n t h e i n t e r w a r y e a r s , N e g r o n i became a supplier to the Ital- ian Army and Navy, a role that required reliability and capac- ity, and at the same time, its products began to circulate outside Italy, especially in France, Belgium, and Switzer- l a n d . T h e b r a n d w a s s t i l l closely associated with its home territory, but its salami and cured meats were already t r a v e l i n g w i t h m i g r a n t s , t r a d e r s , a n d t r a v e l e r s , b e c o m i n g p a r t o f t h e i m a g e o f I t a l i a n f o o d abroad. One of the most interesting chapters in Negroni's story is the invention of Negronetto, the small "pocket" salami that remains a flagship product: in 1 9 3 1 , P a o l o N e g r o n i , Pietro's son, took part in the Nice International Fair at a time when French regula- tions did not allow visitors to t a s t e s l i c e d s a l a m i a t t h e stands. Instead of giving up on offering samples, he creat- ed a compact, individually branded mini-salami that could be handed out whole and eaten later. That simple solution solved a practical problem, but it also produced what Negroni presents as the first fully branded salami, designed as a recognizable object in itself. After the Second World War, Negroni understood that industrial capacity was not enough: a strong identity was needed as well. In 1945, the company introduced the star logo that still appears on every package, a graphic sym- b o l t h a t m a d e t h e b r a n d immediately visible and easy to remember. Advertising campaigns in the following decades pushed this visual identity further. One of the m o s t t a l k e d - a b o u t e a r l y p o s t e r s s h o w e d a d a n c e r inspired by Josephine Baker, "dressed" in slices of salami, a p r o v o c a t i v e i m a g e b y t h e standards of the time. Later, television brought Negroni into Italian living rooms with the famous jingle that many still remember: "Le stelle s o n o t a n t e … l a s t e l l a d i Negroni vuol dire qualità." The line fixed the association between the star and the idea of guaranteed quality, turning Negroni into a pop culture reference. I n t h e e a r l y 2 0 0 0 s , Negroni entered a new phase as part of Gruppo Verone- si, the large agri-food group that also includes AIA. Within t h i s s t r u c t u r e , N e g r o n i b e c a m e t h e c o r e s a l u m i brand, based in Quinto di Val- pantena near Verona and sup- ported by a network of spe- c i a l i z e d p l a n t s ; C r e m o n a continues to be a reference point for salami, while other sites in places such as Zibello, C o r r e g g i o , V i l l a f r a n c a d i V e r o n a , S a n D a n i e l e d e l Friuli, and Tizzano Val Parma focus on matured products, cold cuts, and famous hams like Parma and San Daniele. The integration into a wider group has allowed Negroni to maintain its historical image while benefiting from more efficient logistics, research, and distribution. The current range reflects both its origins and its evolu- tion: alongside classic salami a n d t h e e v e r - p r e s e n t Negronetto, the brand pro- d u c e s c o o k e d a n d c u r e d h a m s , m o r t a d e l l a , f r a n k - furters, and a variety of ready- sliced and ready-to-eat prod- u c t s a i m e d a t m o d e r n households, responding to changing dietary habits and t h e g r o w i n g d e m a n d f o r quick, high-quality meals that still deliver traditional flavor. Through the export chan- nels of Gruppo Veronesi and local distributors, Negroni products now reach many European markets and several non-European ones, present- ed abroad as a benchmark for "authentic Italian salumi", a reputation strengthened by consistent quality controls, strict production standards, and the global appeal of Italy's regional food heritage. W h e n w e think of an a m b u - lance, we u s u a l l y i m a g i n e a w h i t e v a n w i t h flashing lights and sirens cut- ting through traffic; the story o f o r g a n i z e d e m e r g e n c y transport, however, begins l o n g b e f o r e e n g i n e s a n d stretchers on wheels, and it does so in Italy. Indeed, of the earliest examples took shape in thirteenth-centu- ry Florence, around a lay brotherhood that still oper- ates today: the Misericor- dia di Firenze. T h e c o n f r a t e r n i t y w a s founded in 1244, in the cli- m a t e o f r e l i g i o u s r e n e w a l sparked by the Dominican friar P i e t r o d a V e r o n a . F r o m i t s f i r s t y e a r s , t h e group devoted itself to works o f m e r c y , a n d o n e o f t h e most visible was the trans- port of the sick to the city's hospitals and the burial of the dead. Over time, the Mis- ericordia developed a struc- tured service, with members organized in turns and ready to respond when there was a call for help. A c c o r d i n g t o l a t e r accounts, the first rescuers w e r e p o r t e r s w h o u s u a l l y carried goods for Florentine merchants; between jobs, t h e y b e g a n t o u s e t h e i r strength and equipment to carry the injured and the ill, for free, in wicker stretchers a n d b a s k e t s . D u r i n g e p i - demics, especially the plague, these anonymous brothers moved patients and bodies through the narrow streets using handcarts, their faces covered by long black hoods to keep attention on the act of charity rather than on the i n d i v i d u a l . S o m e m o d e r n authors describe this system a s t h e f i r s t v o l u n t e e r a m b u l a n c e o r e m e r - gency-care service, cen- turies before the term exist- ed. Florence's example did not remain isolated, as similar M i s e r i c o r d i e a p p e a r e d i n other Tuscan towns such as Siena and Volterra and later in many parts of Italy, yet the Florentine brotherhood kept a s p e c i a l r o l e a n d i s s t i l l r e g a r d e d a s t h e o r i g i n a l model. Strictly speaking, the word "ambulance" has French and Latin roots and only later came to mean a vehicle. It derives from hôpital ambu- l a n t , a " w a l k i n g h o s p i t a l " t h a t f o l l o w e d a r m i e s , a n d s h i f t e d o v e r t i m e f r o m mobile field hospitals to the w a g o n s t h a t c a r r i e d t h e wounded and finally to motor v e h i c l e s . I n F l o r e n c e , t h e M i s e r i c o r d i a a c q u i r e d i t s f i r s t m o t o r a m b u l a n c e i n 1 9 1 1 , w h e n t h e c i t y h a d grown too large to be served only by stretchers and hand- carts. The Brotherhood of Mercy was the first to offer transportation for the sick in the 13th century (Image created with DALL-E 2) How a Florentine Brotherhood sparked the idea of emergency transport S a l u m i N e g r o n i : h o w a C r e m o n a s a l a m i became a national icon The iconic Negronetto Negroni (Photo: Walter Cicchetti/Shutterstock) IMPRESA ITALIA MADE IN ITALY TOP BRANDS BUSINESS & ECONOMY

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