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The magazine of “Friends of Fai”

Fai-the National Trustfor italy

March 2009

No. One

Contents

7WHO WE aRE

Boards of Friends of FAIOur Donors

13WHaT WE DO

FAI and Friends of FAI

15WHERE WE aRE

Our Properties in Italy

30WHERE WE GO

Our Grand Tours of Italy

34HOW WE WORK

Our Restoration Projects

39HOW TO JOiN US

Membership in Friends of FAI

41HOW TO aDOpT a piEcE OF iTaly

The Maecenas Project

Villa del Balbianello© Archivio Fai

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This spring 2009 Friends of FAI newsletter is filled with projects and opportunities—opportunities to provide constructive assistance to the universe of FAI properties being renovated, restored, and opened to the public, and opportunities to visit and explore that universe as a special and privileged friend and benefactor. Among the recent and significant developments that are of special interest to Friends of FAI—last year our American foundation was certified as a public charity. Our new public charity status makes supporting FAI projects easier and more attractive in a number of ways.Restored properties are being opened to the public at an impressive place: one is the Villa Necchi Campiglio in the heart of Milan, a monument to a world that was swept away by the Second World War, and an inspired style of architecture that has influenced the world ever since. Other properties that will soon be opened to the public are the sixteenth-century Villa dei Vescovi, a spectacular Venetian country home featuring beautifully restored cycles of frescoes, and the Selva di San Francesco, a 155-acre forest adjoining the Umbrian hill town of Assisi, home to Saint Francis and the order that he founded. For years the forest was badly neglected; FAI is carefully restoring it to health and vigor. This too is part of the Italian heritage that Friends of FAI is helping to restore—a natural environment where Italy’s patron saint may have lingered as he meditated on the composition of his Canticle of Creation, praising Brother Sun, Sister Moon, and of course, Mother Earth.

Bona FrescobaldiInternational Chairman Friends of FAI

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who we are

The Monastery of San Fruttuoso© Patrizia Ferreri

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Marella AgnelliHonorary Chairman

Bona de’ Frescobaldi*International Chairman

Board of advisory Trustees

Lynn de RothschildChairman

Giorgio ArmaniLeo ArnaboldiAnna BulgariLaura Casalis

Giulia Maria Crespi*Chiara Ferragamo

Audrey GrussGail Hilson

Dana W. HiscockMaria Manetti Farrow

Ann NitzePaolo Pellegrini Marilyn Perry*

Giorgio Poggiani*Roberta Ritter*Nancy Rubin

Mariuccia Zerilli Marimò

Board of Directors

Luigi E. Moscheri, PresidentHenrietta Jones, TreasurerJames Carolan, Secretary

Giancarla BertiGiovanna Loredan Bonetti

Vannozza Guicciardini Parravicini CrespiMarco Magnifico

Ugo Micheli

*Founders

WHO WE aRE

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The 2008 was a very good one for our foundation. In fact, Friends of FAI received numerous and substantial donations. Let us begin by thanking all those friends who made this progress possible. They have sent us a clear signal of their passion and their determination to help support our mission. As a result of their help, we have been able to conduct major restoration projects—projects that show our shared devotion and love for Italy’s priceless heritage and the work that FAI is doing to preserve that heritage.

OUR paTRONSFirst we take this occasion to tell you about the wonderful restoration soon coming to fruition that involves the Villa dei Vescovi, in the northeastern region of Veneto (on the outskirts of Padua). All the pledges made for this project in 2005 have been fully funded, and the generous contributions of our donors have rescued this exquisite Renaissance villa. It will soon be open to the public. This magnificent restoration would not have been possible without the generous gifts of Gianluigi and Claudia Quentin, Maria Manetti Farrow, Peter and Merle Mullin, Anthony and Ruthann Niosi, and Rockwell and Marna Schnabel, who supported us during these years and to whom we would like to express our profound gratitude.Let us extend our warm personal thanks also to all those who attended in 2007 the concert of the Filarmonica della Scala held on

behalf of Friends of FAI at Carnegie Hall, and who bought tables at the Gala Dinner held to benefit our foundation at the Morgan Library and Museum following the concert. That was a memorable occasion, and the contributions of our many friends made that a significant evening of fundraising for Friends of FAI. The funds from that occasion were all earmarked for the restoration of the magnificent Villa del Balbianello on the shores of Lake Como.In 2008 we are turning to another vital project: the restoration of the books in the library of the castle of Masino, in Piedmont. In this connection, we would like to express our gratitude to Evelyn and Lynn de Rothschild, who made a contribution of $100,000, to Luciano and Giancarla Berti for their donation of $36,000, to Martin and Sharleen Cohen, for their gift for this project of $30,000, and to Miles and Nancy Rubin for their donation of $20,000. It is thanks to these gifts that a magnificent cultural relic of the past has been restored, and will now be available to be experienced by the general public, and by the members of Friends of FAI. Let us also take this opportunity to express our appreciation to Paolo Pellegrini and Henrietta Jones for their significant work as Treasurers of our Foundation and for their gifts of $100,000 we recently received; they have helped to complete an exceptional year for the work our foundation is trying to achieve.

WHO WE aRE

Our donors

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WHO WE ARE

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

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1.Maria Manetti and Rinaldo Jacuzzi Fenolio 2.Elizabeth Stribling and Guy Robinson 3.Lilian Vernon and Paolo Martino 4.Bona Frescobaldi, Luigi Moscheri, Lynn de Rothschild 5.Rossana Sacchi Zei, Luigi and Liliana Moscheri 6.Elena Heinz 7.Elizabeth Thieriot and Robert Eves 8.Lynn and Evelyn de Rothschild 9.Miles and Nancy Rubin 10.Sukuma Jayananda, Sukum and Maevadi Navapan 11.Luigi Moscheri and Giancarla Berti 12.Frederick R. Koch and Crispin Vaughan 13.Martin Cohen and Sharleen Cooper Cohen 14.Mariuccia Zerilli Marimò 15.Christine and Stephen Schwarzman

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FRIENDS OF FAI SCHOLARSHIPThrough the generosity of our friends Luciano and Giancarla Berti every year, in association with the italian department of NYU and the Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, scholarships are offered to two students at New York University who are interested in studying Italian history, culture, and tradition. We wish we could offer more scholarships in the next years thanks to the contribution of our Friends of FAI.

WHO WE ARE

OuR bALbIANELLO CIRCLE mEmbERSLast of all, we wish to thank all the Members of the Balbianello Circle.The Balbianello Circle was founded five years ago, and as it has grown over these years it has brought us

many new friends, who have joined us in the work that we are doing within this exclusive Circle. Let us extend our thanks to all the Friends that join the Balbianello Circle in 2008, with our appreciation for their generous donations.

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WHO WE ARE

PATRONS Luciano and Giancarla BertiRobert Chute Martin and Sharleen CohenLouis CorteseAlberto CribioreThe Davis Family FoundationVittorio and Bona de FrescobaldiEvelyn and Lynn de Rothschild“I 200 del FAI”Maria Manetti FarrowMassimo and Chiara FerragamoAntonio FogliaPaolo and Marlene FrescoRichard and Pamela KramlichMassimo MenozziLuigi and Liliana MoscheriPeter and Merle MullinAnthony and Ruthann Niosi Paolo Pellegrini and Henrietta JonesGianluigi and Claudia Quentin The Ripplewodd Foundation IncStephen RobertMiles and Nancy RubinYury SheflerRockwell and Marna SchnabelStephen and Christine SchwarzmanClark SwansonTurner FoundationGeorge VotisMariuccia Zerilli Marimò

2008 BALBIANELLO CIRCLE MEMBERSThomas and Laurell BarrackGiancarla BertiMartin and Sharleen Cohen Robert DavisBona de FrescobaldiEdward and Arlyn GardnerFrederick KochMichele LibraroMaria Manetti FarrowLuigi and Liliana MoscheriRobert and Diane MossSukum and Maevadi NavapanM. Lee PearceGianluigi and Claudia QuentinJoyce ReyRossana Sacchi Zei Georgia SpogliElizabeth Stribling and Guy RobinsonElizabeth Thieriot and Robert EvesThe Philip and Irene Toll Gage FoundationLillian Vernon and Paolo Martino

12Villa della Porta Bozzolo© Giorgio Majno

FAI, the National Trust for Italy, operates on behalf of everyone who values Italy’s cultural heritage.

FAI acquires—through donation, bequest, conservation easement, or purchase—properties of historical, artistic, or environmental importance, and works to ensure their long-term safety through a scrupulous policy of protection.

FAI owns historic homes, villas, castles, and even a monastery; many of these buildings feature significant frescoes, art collections, libraries, and gardens, as well as properties of great beauty and environmental importance in some of the loveliest parts of Italy.

FAI invites the public to visit our properties; part of our mission is to acquaint the public with these beautiful propertiest.

Friends of FAI (FoF) is an America Foundation which recognizes the artistic, architectural, historical and environmental heritage of Italy as an international resource of priceless value.

FoF organizes numerous events, including conferences, seminars, exhibitions, and concerts in the United States to promote FAI mission and spread understanding of and appreciation for the Italian culture.

FoF does fundraising through its work in the United States. Donations from our American members help to fund FAI’s many restoration projects, in accordance with FAI’s mission statement.

FoF invites the Americans to visit and discover our Country to find the precious treasurers saved by FAI.

Fai & F riends o FaiExist thanks to the generosity of their members and

other donors, both corporate and individual, in Italy and around the world.

Accept endowments and bequests in order to pursue its stated fundamental objectives.

Ask the public to join us, to help recruit new members, and to spread the word about the work we are doing and to help us to continue to do that work throught

generous contributions.

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WHAT WE dO

From Fai in Italy ... to Friends of Fai in the US

14The Monastery of San Fruttuoso© Giorgio Majno

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FAI’s story begins with an ancient Roman tower in the middle of a pristine forest 25 miles from Milan; a group of respected art historians asked FAI to help rescue it. Giulia Maria Crespi stepped in, bought the tower, and donated it to the foundation...

Today, FAI has a number of properties, located throughout Italy’s regions. Every one of these properties is a gem, each in its own way, charming, unique, and different from the others.

FAI’s mission is to preserve its properties as monuments to the past, available to the general public. In fact, once a FAI property has been restore, it is opened to the public for regular visiting hours. Each property comes alive in many and varied ways: we offer guided tours

as well as an array of cultural events. In a way, we feel that not only are we making magnificent buildings available to the public; we are bringing a welcome breath of life back into venerable homes that were, for too many years, abandoned to decay and solitude.

In that spirit, FAI also makes our properties available to responsible parties; it is possible to rent a FAI property for private events, from cocktail parties to dinner parties, meetings, and conferences. This is an exclusive opportunity that FAI provide to its friends for experiencing Italy’s heritage in a unique and unforgettable way. Friends of FAI can host their own partners, friends, and families in a unique setting, while helping the foundation to achieve its stated goals.

Our P roperties in Italy

WHERE WE ARE

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WHERE WE ARE

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NEWLY OPENED!

VILLA NECCHI CAMPIgLIOIn the Heart of Milan

A place where the Friends of FAI are always welcome during their visit to Milan

Built during the Thirties, Villa Necchi Campiglio is a magnificent piece of Rationalist architecture from the Art Deco period in the heart of Milan, surrounded by a handsome park equipped with tennis courts and a swimming pool—evoking a golden and tragic period of Italian history.The owners, wealthy manufacturers, led a glamorous and privileged existence as members of a local and international aristocracy; their home escaped the Allied air raids of the Second World War unscathed, a monument to this idyllic period. Both the exterior and the interior, with various collections and original furnishings, have been perfectly preserved.The building is embellished by other two FAI donations: the marvelous collection of contemporary art donated by Claudia Gian Ferrari, with works by Mario Sironi, Arturo Martini, and Giorgio De Chirico; and the refined and fabulous Alighiero and Emilietta De’ Micheli collection of eighteenth-century paintings and drawings, including works by Canaletto and Tiepolo.

VILLA NECCHI CAMPIgLIO Gigina Necchi Campiglio and Nedda Necchi, bequest, 2001 Milan Phone: +39 02 76340121Fax: +39 02 76395526fainecchi@fondoambiente.it

Hours:Wednesday-Sunday: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PMTuesday: school groups and groups with reservations onlyClosed on Mondays Last admission: 5:15 PM

Available features:Bookshop.A nice restaurant is available for lunch and tea in the garden of the Villa

Availability of villa rental for private events:It is possible to rent the room inside the Villa for private lunches and dinners as well as organize private party in the garden of the Villa

2009 HOSTEd EVENTS:“The architect’s hand”April 18th- May 10th 2009Nearly 400 between sketches and signed draws, donated to FAI by 110 architects among the most famous in world, will be on show at the same time at Villa Necchi, Triennale Bovisa and the magazine’s “Abitare” headquarter. After the exhibition the works will be sold to raise money for Villa Necchi.

WHERE WE ARE

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WHERE WE ARE

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VILLA PANzA near Varese133 Masterpieces of American Contemporary Art in a Italian Villa

In 1996 Count Giuseppe Panza di Biumo decided to donate to our foundation his marvelous family villa, surrounded by splendid grounds covering eight acres and overlooking the city of Varese. At the heart of the beautiful Italian gardens, the villa houses a genuine and startling treasure: 133 masterpieces of American contemporary art, artwork that the count personally acquired and brought here beginning in the 1950s. Part of this vast collection has now been divided and is on display in some of the world’s leading museums, such as MoCA in Los Angeles and the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. There could be no more startling and magical juxtaposition than this collection of contemporary American art in a venerable northern Italian villa.

VILLA E COLLEzIONE PANzA Giuseppe and Rosa Giovanna Panza di Biumo, donation, 1996Varese Phone: +39 0332 283960Fax: +39 0332 488315faibiumo@fondoambiente.it

Hours:February-December: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PMClosed on Mondays (except for public holidays)Last admission: 30 min. before closing time.

Available features:Audioguide in English, Bookshop Cafeteria in the Villa

Availability of villa rental for private events:Hall of the Empire (1,225 sq. ft.): seats 80 max./ serves 150 (buffet, max. 100 for meetings)Dining Room (430 sq. ft.): seats 30 max.Living Room (710 sq. ft.): seats 60 max.Billiards Room (860 sq. ft.): serves 50 max. (buffet)Garden (300 sq. ft.): seats 200 max./ serves 400 (buffet)

2009 HOSTEd EVENTS:“The poetry of the objects. Stuart Arends”March-April 2009Starting from the works of the permanent collection, another one-man show for the American artist. On display, an interesting selection of the last works.“Roooms. Recents works by gianriccardo Piccoli.”May 16-June 21The exhibition is about the relationship between the artist and the space. 30 recent works are on display, especially thought for Villa Panza’s stables; the rooms are transformed in canvas, giving life to hypnotic suggestions.

WHERE WE ARE

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WHERE WE ARE

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VILLA dELLA PORTA BOzzOLO near Varesea Magnificent Villa with a Secret garden

In the eighteenth century a diminutive Italian nobleman with big dreams transformed his “farmhouse-villa” into a prestigious residence, with a monumental, Italian-style garden, with four broad terraces set at different levels and linked by a monumental staircase.The villa changed hands several times over the ensuing centuries and, after a period of abandonment and decay, was finally donated to FAI in 1989. Generous funding has allowed us to perform long-needed renovations and, two decades later, miraculously, Villa Bozzolo is as charming and welcoming a villa as you will find in all Italy.

WHERE WE ARE

VILLA dELLA PORTA BOzzOLO Bozzolo estate, donation, 1989Casalzuigno, VaresePhone: +39 0332 624136Fax: +39 0332 624748faibozzolo@fondoambiente.it

Hours:March-September: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PMOctober to Mid-December/February: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PMClosed on Mondays and Tuesdays (except for public holidays)Last admission: 30 min. before closing time.The library is open only on Sundays or by request

Available features:Bookshop, Restaurant with excellent Italian cookingAvailability of villa rental for private events:Central Hall, Ground Floor (700 sq. ft.): seats 48 max. / serves 100 (buffet)Hall of the Silkworm (2,000 sq. ft.): seats 75 max. (also for meetings)

Courtyard and Portico (3,750 sq. ft.): seats 150 max. / serves 250 (buffet)Secret Garden (4,300 sq. ft.): Silk Mill (1,300 sq. ft.): seats 120 max. / serves 200 (buffet)

2009 HOSTEd EVENTS:“Camellias’, Roses’ and Fuchsias’ days”March 21st -22nd: Camellias’daysMay 31st:Roses’ and Fuchsias’ dayDifferent varieties of these wonderful flowers will be on display, all labelled, in the Villa’s park. It will be possible to admire and buy them directly from the best flower-growers in the enchanted sce-nario of the Villa della Porta Bozzolo secret garden.

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WHERE WE ARE

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VILLA dEL BALBIANELLO near ComoA breathtaking view over the Como lake

FAI is grateful and proud to boast, among its properties, this marvelous estate—a jewel of Italy’s cultural heritage. The villa was built in the late eighteenth century on the ruins of a thirteenth-century Franciscan monastery. It possesses a magnificent loggia perched at the promontory’s highest point, offering a breathtaking view. Inside are the stunning collections assembled by an aristocratic explorer, Count Guido Monzino, who donated villa with its estate to FAI in 1988. The collections include remarkable pieces of antique French and English furniture, Oriental carpets, Beauvais tapestries and French boiseries, exotic objets-d’art, Chinese porcelains from the Tang and Ming dynasties, prints of Lake Como, and one of the world’s leading collections of paintings done on glass.The unique geographic setting makes Balbianello a microcosm, an alluring island on the land, a part of the surrounding lakefront scenery and a jewel in that setting.

WHERE WE ARE

VILLA dEL BALBIANELLO Count Guido Monzino, bequest, 1988Lenno, ComoPhone: +39 0344 56110Fax: +39 0344 55575faibalbianello@fondoambiente.it

Hours:Mid-March to mid-November: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PMClosed on Mondays and Wednesdays (except for public holidays)Last admission: 30 min. before closing time.

Available features:Boat service from Lenno, Bookshop

Availability of villa rental for private events:Dining Room (430 sq. ft.): seats 30 max.Map Room [Loggia] (430 sq. ft.): seats 30 max.Terrace overlooking the lake (540 sq. ft.): seats 140 max.Garden (16 acres): accommodates 200 max. (buffet)

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WHERE WE ARE

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CASTLE OF MANTA near TurinA Castle crowned by the splendid ring of the Cozie Alps

The magnificent landscape of the Monviso massif is the setting for this imposing building, whose modern appearance is the product of numerous expansions and alterations carried out over the centuries.Probably originally built during the twelfth century, the Castle of Manta is thought to house one of the finest examples of Gothic painting in existence; indeed, the sober exteriors contrast with the refined elegance of the interiors, adorned with stunning Gothic frescoes. These frescoes depict a series of elegant heroes and heroines—matched by a depiction of the Garden of Youth. Likewise, the small adjoining church—once part of the estate but now property of the municipality of Manta, and on permanent loan to FAI—is considered a tiny gem, with its fifteenth-century frescoes.

WHERE WE ARE

CASTELLO dELLA MANTA Elisabetta De Rege Provana, donation, 1984 Manta, CuneoPhone: +39 0175 87882Fax: +39 0175 87882faimanta@fondoambiente.it

Hours:March-September: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PMOctober to Mid-December/February: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PMClosed on Mondays (except for public holidays)Last admission: 30 min. before closing time.

Available features:Audioguide in English, Bookshop.

Availability of castle rental for private events:Eat-In Kitchen (1,000 sq. ft.): seats 70 max. / serves 100 (buffet) Hall of the Grotesques (1,100 sq. ft.): serves 100 max. (buffet) / 80 for meetingsGarden (3/4 acre): seats 200/250 max.

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WHERE WE ARE

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CASTLE OF MASINO near TurinOver 100 Rooms overlooking the Alps

This castle is a genuine royal palace, with acres of floor space, over 100 rooms, and some 6,000 spectacular pieces of antique furniture. It has been the family home of the Valperga di Masino clan since the tenth century; but in 1988 the last scion of the family—Count Luigi Valperga di Masino—decided to sell the castle. Italian auto company FIAT and a major bank funded the purchase (about 1 million dollars) and our adventure began; to date, we have raised and spent over 10 million dollars to restore this hilltop “white elephant,” on the top of a hill, 30 miles from Turin, overlooking the Alps. It is a majestic home on a truly palatial scale. Every room in the castle is decorated with magnificent seventeenth- and eighteenth-century frescoes, all awaiting restoration, like those in the tower ballroom. The castle also boasts a fabulous library, with more than 20,000 volumes dating back to between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries: sadly, these books have suffered from the damp and dust of the centuries, and also await restoration.

CASTELLO dI MASINO Purchased from Luigi Valperga di Masino, 1988Caravino, TurinPhone: +39 0125 778100Fax: +39 0125 778551faimasino@fondoambiente.it

Hours:March-September: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PMOctober to Mid-December/February: 10:00 AM to 5:00 PMClosed on Mondays (except for public holidays)Last admission: 30 min. before closing time.

Available features:Audioguide in English, Bookshop, Restaurant with fine Piedmontese cooking

Availability of castle rental for private events:. Hall of the Escutcheon (1,400 sq. ft.): seats 120 max. / serves 140 (buffet). Grand Ballroom (1,600 sq. ft.): seats 80 max. (for meetings) . Hall of the Gods (1,225 sq. ft.): seats 80 max. / serves 100 buffet (or accommodates 100 for meetings). Tower of the Winds (600 sq. ft.): serves 40 max. (buffet). Terrace of the Lemon Trees (half an acre): seats 200 max. / serves 300 (buffet). Terrace of the Oleanders (4,000 sq. ft.): seats 200 max. / serves 300 (buffet). Garden (57 acres): max. 8,000/10,000 guests

WHERE WE ARE

2009 hosted events:“gardens’ days”April 30th- May 1st, 2nd, 3rdThe Piedmont Academy for the Gardens by Paolo Pejrone organizes the most important and prestigious fair dedicated to flowers, gardens and parks. During the Days will be possible to admire the plants on display, to visit the hazels’ maze on board of a car-riage, and to assist to a jugglers’ and stilt walkers’ show.

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WHERE WE ARE

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THE MONASTERy OF SAN FRuTTuOSO near GenovaAn unspoilt Paradise adorning Mount Portofino

San Fruttuoso is a jewel adorning Mount Portofino, set at the end of a narrow bay that opens southward along the rocky Ligurian coast. In addition to its spectacular natural setting, in a landscape of 80 acres of olive groves and pine forests, broken only by the colorful homes of the local fishermen, the abbey and the church possess outstanding architectural and historical value. This unspoilt paradise is remote from the world of cars, and can only be reached by boat or on foot.

WHERE WE ARE

ABBAzIA dI SAN FRuTTuOSO Frank and Orietta Pogson Doria Pamphilij, donation, 1983 Camogli, GenovaPhone: +39 0185 772703Fax: +39 0185 775883fai.sanfruttuoso@fondoambiente.it

Hours:May-September: daily, 10:00 AM to 5:45 PMMarch and April/October: daily, 10:00 AM to 3:45 PMNovember-February: 10:00 AM to 3:45 PM (closed on Mondays, except for public holidays)Last admission: 30 min. before closing time.

Available features:Boat service from Camogli/Portofino/ other port towns, BookshopAvailability of monastery rental for private events:. Chapter House (600 sq. ft.): seats 50 max./ 100 for meetings. Abbey Rooms, upper floor (1,200 sq. ft.): seats 50 max. / serves 200 (buffet). Garden (325 sq. ft.): serves 50 (buffet)

“Antonio discovolo: light’s alchimist”April 4-September 30, 2009Anthological exhibition on Antonio Discovo-lo’s works, 25 years later the last show on the painter. Through approximately 50 pieces, the exhibition tries to cover all the artist’s period, from the first Diversionist and Symbolist works, to the Neo-Impressionist ones, up to the beautiful canvas on the Ligurian costs, the life of its fishermen and farmer.

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The best way to understand the value of the patrimony we protect is to explore it! Therefore, one of the chief services that Friends of FAI offers its members is a privileged and intimate experience of this incredible country—Italy—through two unique opportunities:

PERSONAL TRAVEL CONSuLTANTSAll those who become members of our foundation at the Benefactor level (donation of $2,500) can take advantage of a consulting service that will provide expert advice in planning your trip to Italy. Through the widespread network of contacts that we possess throughout the country, Friends of FAI can give a traveler guidance to the most interesting, most secret, even inaccessible things to see—opening up for you an Italy that is unique and exclusive.

BALBIANELLO CIRCLE SPRINg TOuRSEvery year, Friends of FAI conducts, exclusively for the members of the Balbianello Circle, a journey of exploration through Italy—a week full of special and personalized tours, of luncheons, dinners, and intimate cocktail parties in the homes of major figures in Italian society, a journey through lovely places of great historical and artistic significance—purely Italian, completely exclusive. An extraordinary opportunity to know what we love best: Italy.

Our Grand Tours of Italy

Our P roperties in Italy

WHERE WE gO

Our Past Balbianello Circle Spring Tours

8—13 May 2004“Spring Tour of Parma

and Piacenza”

7—12 October 2004 “under the Tuscan Sun”

29 May—4 June 2005 “The Home of the Ancient Mariners”

The Ancient maritime republic of genoa

21—27 May 2006 “The South Wind Tour”

Naples, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast.

20-26 May 2007 “The dawn of the Italian Culture” Matera, Lecce and the Salento

16—22 May 2008 “The Cradle of the Italian Kingdom”

Turin and the Piedmont Region

SPRING TOUROF PARMA AND PIACENZA

CREATED AND ORGANIZED BY

FAI - FONDO PER L’AMBIENTE ITALIANO

FOR

8-13 MAY 2004

Save the Date

“ Under the Tuscan Sun”A trip to Florence and nearby Tuscany

7-12 October 2004

For any further information please contact:

Our international office in Italy:Studio A. PellegriniRenata GirolaVia C. Goldoni, 3420129 MilanTelephone +39 02 86 45 70 90fax + 39 02 86 98 38 49friendsoffai@net2000.it

Our travel agency in the United States:Williams World Travel Ltd.Roman LowzanP.O. Box 4854New York, N.Y. 10185-4854Telephone 212 752-3525 Fax 212 656-1521roman@wwt.org

“The Home of the Ancient Mariners”

SPRING TOUR OF GENOVAAND HISTORIC MARITIME CENTER PORTOFINO

AND SURROUNDINGSCREATED AND ORGANIZED BY

FAI - FONDO PER L’AMBIENTE ITALIANOFOR

29 MAY 2005 - 4 JUNE 2005

P rogram of the Spring Tour of Naples, Capri and Amalfi Coast

c reated and organized byFAI-The National Trust for Italy

f o r

“The South Wind Tour”

May 21 – May 27, 2006

FAI Programma con immagine 21-12-2005 14:57 Pagina 1

“The Cradle of the Italian Kingdom” Turin and the Glorious Castles

and Parks of the Piedmont Region

Reserved to the

Spring Tour 2008

May 16 – May 22, 2008

FAI Programma con immagine 1-02-2008 18:27 Pagina 1

WHERE WE gO

Program of the Spring Tour of ApuliaMatera, Lecce and the Salento

created and organized byFAI-The National Trust for Italy

for

Spring Tour of Apulia

May 20 – May 27, 2007

FAI_Apulia 8-11-2006 19:58 Pagina 1

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WHERE WE gO

Pier Paolo dalle Masegne, active in Bologna from 1386-1493Fragment of the Sarcophagus of Giovanni da Legnano, detail.Museo Civico Medievale, Bologna

Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna, Imola, and Faenza

The 2009 Balbianello Circle Spring Tour will take our travelers on a journey that begins with one of Europe’s earliest university towns—Bologna, known for centuries as la Bella—the Beauty—and la Dotta—the Learned. Bologna’s reputation for learning dates back a thousand years; her reputation for loveliness is well earned and unmistakable.The city’s culture, however, is not limited to dusty books and gloomy university libraries.Bologna is a city that is young and alive, where learning is only part of a joy of everyday life,

a desire for fun and freedom. This is a city filled with young people from every corner of the earth. They come here to study and, more and more, decide to remain.In fact, anyone who visits Bologna is enchanted by its wonderful beauty. Often, they stay for good.After Bologna, the members of the Balbianello Circle will discover the venerable cities of Ferrara, with its renowned palazzi, Ravenna with its ancient mosaics, and Imola and Faenza.Our Italian friends are awaiting us, to invite us into their beautiful homes for a genuine and unforgettable experience of Italy.

Balbianello Spring Tour 2009Bologna: the Beauty and the Learned

22 – 29 May 2009

To enjoy the 2009 Balbianello Circle Spring Tour, become a member of the Balbianello Circle or renew your membership today. Contact our international office for a detailed program and an application form to reserve a seat on this memorable journey.

Friends of Fai International Officec/o Arts Councilphone +39 02 7000 2613italianoffice@friendsoffai.com

WHERE WE gO

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In 2007, as announced, FAI began work on the Villa dei Vescovi in the Veneto—an extraordinary villa built between 1535 and 1542 near Padua.

The campaign to restore to its original magnificence this property that FAI received as a donation from Vittorio Olcese in 2005 is a daunting and costly one. The villa needs extensive and deep-reaching renovations, and this is a vast property. The aid that has been generously provided by all our many

friends, first among them the Friends of FAI, is doing much to make this campaign possible.Two types of restoration have proven necessary—on the interior of the villa, its extensive cycle of frescoes, clearly hearkening back to the style of Raphael, and executed between 1542 and 1548 by Lamberto Sustris. Damaged by four centuries of history, and seriously harmed by a substantial structural renovation in the mid-eighteenth century—huge sections of

The Restoration P rojectsVilla dei Vescovi

HOW WE WORK

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frescoes were destroyed to provide a different interior layout of the rooms—the paintings were in serious condition, covered with dirt, flaking, and fading. The restorations done by FAI have brought back the original paintings, allowing us to see the frescoes more or less as they originally were.

As for the structural restorations necessary to preserve the villa and make it possible to open it to the public, FAI is currently working on that aspect of the campaign. In so doing, FAI is also making significant discoveries. Indeed, once the excavations were complete, a number of rectangular ditches, all running in the same direction, were found. These were grave sites, and the skeletal remains of several individuals were uncovered.These new discoveries have made it possible to reconstruct the history of the construction of this site. Clearly, before the villa was built, this was the site of a church dedicated to Saint Martin, adjacent to a medieval fortress. This is a major contribution to the history of a structure for which no written documents have ever been found.After the pause made necessary by these archaeological digs, now restoration can proceed. New heating and electrical systems will soon be installed, as well as the rest of the conservation and restoration projects.

Work should be complete by the end of 2009, when Villa dei Vescovi will be opened again to the public. This is keeping with the intentions of Vittorio Olcese, who purchase the virtually abandoned villa in 1962, in order to preserve it as an artistic treasure. It was in his memory, and in keeping with this spirit, that his widow Maria Teresa Olcese and his son Pier Paolo donated Villa dei Vescovi to FAI on 28 January 2005.

HOW WE WORK

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A New Restoration ProjectSelva di San F rancesco

HOW WE WORKNEW

PrOjEt!

The Selva di San Francesco is a forest covering 155 acres and adjoining the basilica of San Francesco in Assisi. It was here that Saint Francis founded his order, had his visions, and received his stigmata. The forest consists of oaks, olive trees, hornbeams, and maples, with an undergrowth of boxwood and broom. It extends along the mountain slope and down the banks of the river Tescio.

The work that FAI is doing is complex and intricate, and very different from that of restoring ancient villas and castles. It is necessary first of all to do a census of the forest, determining the number and varieties of trees and plants. Then the sick or invasive trees and plants must be carefully cut and removed; next healthy and native plants and trees must be cultivated to restore the forest to its original health.

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HOW WE WORK

Among the projects in the Selva di San Francesco that FAI is undertaking is the installation of a path, with railings, steps, and signage, for visitors to this spiritual heart of the verdant region of Umbria, itself the heart of Italy.There are also several medieval structures in the forest: a 650-year-old bridge over the river Tescio (there was an older bridge there before St. Francis was born, but the existing bridge was built a couple of centuries later), a curtain wall that belonged to a Benedictine monastery, a church of Santa Croce (Holy Cross), dating back to 1250, shortly after St. Francis’s death, and an old mill that was in use until the last century.The work that FAI is taking care of, is to make this forest available to the public, along with the numerous historic structures that embellish it.

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HOW WE WORK

Monastero San Fruttuoso© Auda & Coudayre

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FRIENddonations from $500 to $2,499.FAI’s Friends will receive a FAI membership card allowing the donor to visit, free of charge, all FAI properties in Italy. A Friend will also receive “Il Libro del FAI,” a handsome illustrated book with a description of the most beautiful FAI properties.A Friend will also be invited to all Friends of FAI social events in the United States, and will be kept informed of all major FAI events in Italy.

BENEFACTORdonations from $2,500 to $4,999.A FAI Benefactor will enjoy, along with the benefits described for a FRIEND, complete access to the benefit’s of FAI’s “Italian Experience.” When a Benefactor travels to Italy, he or she can contact our International Office for a personal and exclusive free of charge travel consultation to ensure that special tours and visits will make your trip to Italy unforgettable. This service will put you in the special care of our travel experts, who will tend to your every need and concern, according to your budget.

BALBIANELLO CIRCLEdonations from $5,000 to $19,999.The Balbianello Circle is a group of special friends of our foundation.The Balbianello Circle members are entitled to join us, every year, on an exclusive Italian journey, organized especially for them. Members of the Balbianello Circle will enjoy invaluable access to the treasures of Italy’s museums, with special viewings as personal guests of the venerable families that have been and continue to be Italy’s greatest patrons of art and culture. These opportunities will make this Italian journey an unforgettable experience.Members of the Balbianello Circle will of course also receive all the benefits accorded Friends and Benefactors.

PATRONdonations, $20,000 and up.Every year, FAI identifies a special restoration project of one of its properties to be supported by Friends of FAI. A Patron’s donation will be designated to support that project.As a patron, you will enjoy great recognition for your generosity: plaques with the names of the Patrons who have made the restoration possible will be featured prominently at FAI projects for various levels of support.A Patron will also receive all the benefits available to the other membership levels.

M embership in F riends of F ai

HOW TO JOIN uS

A New Restoration ProjectSelva di San Francesco

40Villa Panza© Giorgio Majno

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Help us to create a future for our propertiesYour generosity will allow us to restore and preserve Italy’s historical and ar-tistic heritage, a resource that benefits all humanity.

Five minutes is enough time to adopt a thousand years of historyJoin us in our mission by becoming a Maecenas to Friends of FAI. Maecenas was a confidant and political adviser to the great Roman emperor Augustus, as well as a discerning patron of the arts. The designation of Maecenas of Friends of FAI will allow you to help us by adopting one of FAI’s more than thirty Italian properties. It would be a privilege for us to be able to count on you as our Maecenas. Give your contribution to protect the part of Italy that you love most and that is closest to your heart.

CHOOSE yOuR FAVORITE FAI PROPERTy!(for further information about the properties please visit our website)

VILLA DEL BALBIANELLOLocated on the western shore of Lake ComoCASTELLO DI MASINO Looking out over the wide Canavese plain, near TurinVILLA PANZA Overlooking the city of Varese from the hillside of BiumoCASTELLO DELLA MANTA Set in the splendid amphitheater of the Cottian Alps

VILLA DELLA PORTA BOZZOLO Immersed in a valley in the Alpine foothills on the Lombard shoreof Lake MaggioreMONASTERY OF SAN FRUTTUOSO Located in a narrow bay that opens southward along the coast of Mount Portofino

If you become a Maecenas:1. You will become a member of Friends of FAI and receive a FAI membership card that will entitle you to visit, free of charge, all the FAI properties in Italy2. Your name will appear on a plaque at the site you decide to adopt featuring all the donations from our American supporters.3. At any time, you can reserve an exclusive private tour, for yourself and your friends, at the property you have adopted, with the curator of the property and, depending on the facilities in the property, you can also order a light lunch or a coffeebreak at the property (at your own expense) 4. You will receive the book of FAI and the newsletter of Friends of FAI so that you can be kept informed of all our activities in the US and in ItalyWhat kind of Maecenas you want to be?

For your children or grandchildren:Maecenas JUNIOR—contribution of $1,000For yourself or your friends:Maecenas SILVER—contribution of $2,000Maecenas GOLD—contribution of $5,000Maecenas PLATINUM—contribution of $10,000

To become a Maecenas and to make your donation, please fill out and send in the form you will find in this newsletter.

HOW TO AdOPT A PIECE OF ITALy

The M aecenas P rojet

42Castle of Manta© Giorgio Majno

Project by Arts Council

Editorial staff Alessandra Pellegrini, Maria Simone, Antony Shugaar

design by Laura Casalis

graphic by Giulia Biscottini

Printed in Italy by Arti Grafiche Colombo, Milano

uSEFuL AddRESSES

To inquire about FAI or Friends of FAI, please contact our office in Italy:

International OfficeVia Fratelli Bronzetti, 28

20129 Milan, ItalyPhone: +39 02 7000 2613Fax: +39 02 7611 4589

Email: italianoffice@friendsoffai.com

or our u.S. Office:

New York Officec/o Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò

24 West 12th StreetNew York, NY 10011

Phone: +1 212 998 8728Email: nycoffice@friendsoffai.com

To donate to Friends of FAI

Please make a check payable toFriends of FAI

and send it to the following address

FRIENDS OF FAITHE ITALIAN ENVIR FOUNDATION INC

P.O. BOX 10388UNIONDALE NY 11555-0388

Please send me more information about•  THE MAECENAS PROJECT•  FAI RESTORATION PROJECTS•  GRAND TOURS OF ITALY

I support the mission of Friends of FAI and I would like to become:

•  FRIEND  Donations from $500 to $2,499•  BENEFACTOR  Donations from $2,500 to $4,999•  BALBIANELLO CIRCLE  Donations from $5,000 to $19,999•  PATRON  Donations of $20,000 and up.

I enclose a check payable to Friends of FAI for the amount of $

Name(s)   Last name               First name        Mr / Mrs / Ms

Street Address State Zip

Phones   Home Phone               Office Phone        Fax

E-Mail Address

Date                                        Signature    

Tax deductible contribution (the first $50 is a non-deductible fee)

Please mail the form and the check to:FRIENDS OF FAITHE ITALIAN ENVIR FOUNDATION INCP.O. BOX 10388UNIONDALE NY 11555-0388