The secret recipe for Coca Cola, code-named “Merchandise 7X” is kept under lock and key in a vault in the SunTrust Bank Building in Atlanta, Georgia, the home of Coke inventor Dr. John S. Pemberton and current world headquarters of Coca Cola International.

Vintage Coca-Cola Photos from Italy and Egypt

When the United States became involved in WWII, they brought Coca-Cola with them to Italy and North Africa. We at Retroplanet.com wanted to share a few vintage photos showing Coca-Cola sales and distribution in Italy and Cairo, Egypt, postwar.

This photo shows some of the Italian navy and a poster promoting the consumption of Coca-Cola. In American advertising, the Sprite Boy encouraged people to “Drink Coca-Cola”, “Have a Coke” or “Take Some Home Today”. But in the Italian advertising, Sprite Boy simply proclaims that Coke is “Ice Cold” or “Ghiacciata”.

Here we see Coca-Cola being delivered by boat in the canals of Venice. Note that the boat is emblazoned with the Coca-Cola logo and is being captained by a man in a corporate-looking suit. Looks as if Coke delivery was taken very seriously at that time!

Our next photo is of a long line of Coca-Cola delivery trucks lined up in front of the Arch of Constantine; in the background is the Roman Coliseum.

And at the Vatican…

Here we have a photo of a sidewalk café in Italy. “Bevete Coca-Cola”, or “Drink Coca-Cola” is repeated on panels on the outer walls of the café.

The following photo shows a serious-looking crowd in Cairo. Clearly they never heard “Have a Coke and a Smile!” This kiosk appears in front of a stadium and the two men out front are outfitted with stadium vendors loaded with cold bottles of Coke. Note that both the sign on the kiosk and the stadium vendors have Coca-Cola written in both English and Arabic.

And here is a great photo of a vintage Italian Coca-Cola delivery truck. “Bevete Coca-Cola Ghiacciata” most likely translates to the English equivalent of “Drink Ice-Cold Coca-Cola”.

And finally, this is a photo of men painting and assembling advertising posters for Coca-Cola. The signs feature the slogan “Bevete Coca-Cola Ghiacciata” and as we can see, they are all hand-painted. The poster with the woman and dog is the same one featured in our “Coca-Cola Slogans” blog. And the “Bevete Coca-Cola” button sign is almost exactly like the button sign we sell here at Retroplanet.com.

This is just a small number of the vintage Italian and Egyptian Coca-Cola photos we have scanned