The seal of Uninsubria

The seal was created by Paul Scharff, a talented Dutch graphic designer who lived in Cittiglio and illustrated numerous books for Mondadori and texts for De Agostini.
Paul Sharff was assisted in his research to identify the seal by a number of local scholars and experts, in particular Daria Banchieri and Gaspare Morgione.

The final graphic design, which, according to the university's top management, recalls the rich vegetation of the Insubrian land, represents a double green spiral on a white background, or rather the stylisation of two converging rivers that feed a central course that cuts through and unites the two areas of Varese and Como, bringing life with water.
‘In the same way,’ it was explained, ‘the University of Insubria is called upon to culturally fertilise the territory in which it is located.’

‘The author and his collaborators,’ say university officials, ‘have conducted a preliminary historical and geographical survey of the Insubrian territory, an area with common historical, cultural and economic roots, with mountains, rivers, lakes and forests that create a natural homogeneity.’

The artist's intention was for the graphic symbol to take into account the past and present, anticipating a future for which the University of Insubria represents a vigorous premise.
After examining numerous images of archaeological finds acquired during excavations in the Varese and Como areas, attention focused on two finds that feature the same meander-spiral motif: a pintadera, a sort of stamp used for ritual purposes, from Isolino Virginia, on Lake Varese, and a presaculum with a human face, found in Montano Lucino, in the province of Como.

Since ancient times, the spiral has been a highly symbolic sign with multiple meanings: for the Celts, it represented flames and fire, but according to the dictionary, it also represents “the movement of water” and “denotes fertility and the dynamic aspect of things”.