A week ago I had the pleasure to tour the Fondazione Mansutti, a private collection of insurance history that includes books, policies, advertising posters, and placards that had been affixed to insured buildings.

The collection is very impressive – I was particulary taken aback by the handwritten insurance policies from the 1500’s, as well as the advertising posters which are true works of art – some of them were painted by famous artists.

Everything here is original and well-cared for. The curator, Marina Bonomelli, is a gracious host and incredibly knowledgeable about insurance history. She has compiled and written a book that acts as a catalogue for the foundation’s written collection (see photos, Quaderni di Securta, which is also in English).

Special thank you to both Marina Bonomelli and my insurance law colleague Pierpaolo Marano of the Catholic University of Milan.