Annual Report 2011 - Fai

1. Protecting and enhancing
Acquisition
In 2011, we acquired
six properties: the
Negozio Olivetti in
Piazza San Marco
in Venice, the
Velarca houseboat
and the Torre di
Ossuccio in the
province of Como,
the woodland/
pastureland of the
Alpeggi Tirinzoni in
the Orobian Alps,
the Art Nouveau
Pensilina in Velate
and the Collezione
Enrico at Villa
Flecchia in Magnano
(in the province of
Biella).
LANDMARKS TO BE UNCOVERED AND CAPITALISED ON
Getting visitors to discover the main types of assets (culture, nature and
landscapes) that make Italy’s heritage unique is one of the most important objectives of
our operations. It is for this reason that we take care of castles, monastic complexes, gardens,
natural areas, important residences and homes-cum-art-galleries, as well as little jewels
nestling in the landscape. The majority of these properties are donated by individuals, whereas
others are granted to us on a concessionary basis.
In choosing the assets to take under our wing, so to speak, we apply precise criteria
that range from the level of excellence of the property and the context in which it is sited to
the risk of loss or damage, its capacity to be financially self-sufficient during the management
phase and its potential to attract funding. Another factor that exerts an influence is its location
in relation to those regions of Italy where our presence is more limited and in terms of the
possibility to create synergies with the surrounding area.
Alongside the concession by Assicurazioni Generali of the Negozio Olivetti in Venice, in
2011 we acquired another five very different properties (from an entire natural area to
a small, abandoned tram shelter dating from the early 20th century) that are, however, united
by a common thread – each stands, in its own way, as an important testament both to the
history of Italy and to the identity of the Italian people.
Their historical/artistic value and the opportunity they afforded to create synergies gave
us the impetus to acquire the Velarca (donated by Aldo Norsa and his wife Maria Luisa),
a houseboat anchored on the western shore of Lake Como and designed in 1961 by the
legendary Milanese studio BBPR, and the Torre di Ossuccio (bequest by Rita Bernasconi), which
is a mediaeval monument immersed in an exceptionally important landscape 400 metres above
Lake Como. Together with the nearby Villa del Balbianello, the two assets will go on to form a
high-quality tourism circuit.
Also of considerable value are the Alpeggi Tirinzoni in the Orobian Alps (donated by
Stefano Tirinzoni); these hillsides encompass more than 200 hectares, with 50 hectares of
woodland and 80 of pastureland at risk of disappearing due to natural reforestation. The area
will be preserved and enhanced forever in a way that respects the agricultural, environmental
and pastoral traditions of this part of the world. Other, very different, assets acquired in
2011 included the Art Nouveau Pensilina in Velate, which was built in the early 1900s
during the period when Varese was a centre for international tourism and which beautifully
encapsulates a moment in Italian history; and the Collezione Enrico at Villa Flecchia in
Magnano, in the province of Biella (bequest by Piero Enrico), which is composed of a full
sixty-two 19th-century Piedmontese paintings, precious rugs and furniture.
THE PROPERTIES
FOR WHICH WE ARE
RESPONSIBLE
25
regularly open
to the public
13
safeguarded
9
undergoing
restoration
© T. Libis
FAI - La Velarca, Ossuccio (Como)
Trekking to the Alpe Pedroria in the Orobian Alps, bequested by Stefano Tirinzoni
24 Annual Report 2011 Annual Report 2011 25