OUR HISTORY

Ours is a story that borders on legend. Indeed, a Story, with a capital "S". Yes, because the events that led to the birth of Eliosneon, a leading company in the production of illuminated signs, begin in the nineteenth century and, touching the main historical moments of the last two centuries, reaches the present day.

It is a story of dueling challenges, adventures in the "wild west" and world wars. A story that speaks above all of the courage to always leave a luminous sign capable, where possible, of changing the world.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century it was precisely for the consequences of a duel over the love of a woman that my namesake great-grandfather, Alessandro Monti, landed in the United States and became an adventurer, a real "cowboy"! When he finally returned to Italy, he started a profitable activity in Lombardy as a wholesaler of liqueurs and wines, but evidently Alessandro's adventurous spirit was also transmitted to his son Carlowho, while very young, decided to give another twist to our family story, abandoning the comfortable commercial activity to move to Bohemia to learn the ancient craft of glass blowing.

My grandfather Carlo needed only three years to learn every little secret of this craft and back in Italy, he put his new skills to good use, first assuming important functions of technical responsibility at Osram Italia and then founding, in 1893, the Soffieria Monti. Thus, our family tradition in scientific glass blowing was born, initially mainly thermoses, syringes, and stills, which quickly monopolised the market.

With the outbreak of the First World War, in which Italy was at war against the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the company activities were disrupted and even after the end of hostilities there were difficulties. Shortly before the death of my grandfather Carlo, in 1937, a division of neon advertising signs was born within the "Soffieria" that produced what was probably the first neon illuminated sign in Italian history, and Eliosneon took its first steps.

After the Second World War, while Soffieria Monti declined, the new advertising company was growing strongly. The activity was carried on mainly by two sons of Carlo Monti: my uncle Gioacchino and my father Ambrogio who, at the beginning of the 50s, founded Eliosneon in Milan. This was followed by 30 years of success that proceeded at the pace of a world that was changing every day, at the end of which my father decided to pass the baton to me.

I was just 21 years old when I started working in Eliosneon, and in 1998 I became sole director of the company that has become a reference point in Italy in the production of illuminated signs. With only one thought in mind: to always live up to our history.

Indeed, of our History.

Alessandro Monti

Managing Director Eliosneon