In 1846, Francesco Peroni, the ambitious fifth child of 15 born to a village pasta maker, opened a small brewery in the northern Italian city of Vigevano. Next door, at a bustling bar where he offered longer opening hours than the local osteria, the fruits of his labour quickly proved popular.
One-hundred-and-seventy years later, Peroni is Italy’s best-known beer brand. Peroni Nastro Azzurro, the premium lager launched by Francesco’s grandson Carlo in 1963, is enjoyed in more than 70 countries and is Italy’s best-selling export beer. Still made and bottled exclusively in Italy, Peroni Nastro Azzurro’s is the type of story – of family, authenticity and unmistakable taste – for which Italy is renowned worldwide.
By 1864, with demand building and a watchful eye on a unifying Italy, Francesco Peroni’s son Giovanni had established a second brewery in Rome, the city which seven years later would become the country’s capital. For the next century the company’s success and reputation continued to grow as Italy embraced the taste of Peroni.
In 1963, three years after Italy’s unique blend of architectural splendour, cutting edge design and effortless glamour were cinematically embodied in La Dolce Vita, Carlo Peroni, Francesco’s grandson, decided these exciting times called for a new premium beer.
Italy’s bright young things were zipping around city piazzas on the back of vespas enjoying carefree aperitifs in neighbourhood bars and soaking up endless summer sun in the country’s glamorous seaside resorts. International film stars, politicians and royals flocked to join them, keen to savour their own taste of la dolce vita.
Peroni Nastro Azzurro, the country’s first premium lager, would symbolise the optimism, aspiration and creativity of this post-war boom. The taste would be clean, crisp and distinctively Italian.
The name – meaning “blue riband” – came from the accolade given to the passenger liner with the highest average speed on a westbound Atlantic crossing. In 1933 the Italian-made ship, SS Rex had claimed the title.
Boasting a theatre and a pool surrounded by sand from the Amalfi coast, it was the largest ship ever built in the country. For Carlo Peroni – born in Rome in 1911 – and many of his generation, the SS Rex epitomised the superiority of Italian design, craftsmanship and performance.
Peroni Nastro Azzurro’s connection with the sea and the cinematic glamour of 60s Rome remains fundamental. A series of iconic advertising campaigns has celebrated its nautical – and unmistakably Italian – heritage.
In 2006, the company’s La Dolce Vita inspired black and white commercial – including a remake of the original film’s iconic Trevi fountain scene – was voted best foreign TV advert by the New York Times.
It followed an international relaunch of the brand in 2005, when London’s Sloane Street hosted Emporio Peroni. With neighbours including Giorgio Armani, Gucci and Versace, the pop-up window shop showcased the best of Italian design, fashion and food.
Peroni Nastro Azzurro’s latest campaign, Vita al Mare, returns to the sea. Set in Capri, summer playground for the stars from the days of Rita Hayworth, Brigitte Bardot and Clark Gable through to Mariah Carey, Leonardo di Caprio and Beyoncé today, the film – shot by acclaimed photographer and director, Kalle Gustafsson – follows a beautiful starlet who arrives on the island mobbed by photographers and stifled by her fame. With the help of some locals she slips from the crowds on to a waiting boat, finally free to enjoy the sparkling sea and a Peroni Nastro Azzurro in the company of friends. Happiness, the film reminds us, can come from life’s simple pleasures.
Now, those keen to share Peroni Nastro Azzurro’s celebration of Italian destinations, food, drink and culture can visit The House of Peroni, a six-week-long residency dedicated to the very best of the country that inspired Peroni Nastro Azzurro, showcasing the work of a new generation of Italian talent from the worlds of food, drink, fashion, art and design.
Discover the Peroni Nastro Azzurro story on www.thehouseofperoni.com
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