When she found her amongst the Tuscan chestnut trees, she told her, with an imperious and peremptory tone, to found an Italian National Trust. "But up there they have porridge and we eat spaghetti, up there it rains and here the sun shines; I see few similarities!" her friend replied.
Elena Croce's idea became reality thanks to the enthusiasm and support of Renato Bazzoni, architect and environmentalist, Alberto Predieri, jurist and academic, and Franco Russoli, art historian and museologist: it was with them that Giulia Maria Mozzoni Crespi, on the 28th of April 1975, signed the FAI's memorandum of association and statute: a declaration of intent by people determined to do something concrete for our country.
FAI's activities were kick-started by the first donation received: the splendid Cala Junco, a cove with crystal-clear waters, donated by Pietro di Blasi, in Panarea, one of the Aeolian Islands in Sicily. This was followed by the Monastero di Torba in Lombardy, bought and donated by President Crespi herself, the Abbazia di San Fruttuoso between Camogli and Portofino in Liguria, and the latest significant acquisitions of the Giganti della Sila in Spezzano della Sila in Calabria, the Podere Case Lovara in Punta Mesco in Liguria, and the Saline Conti Vecchi in Cagliari, Sardinia.
FAI’s first times
1977
The first assets
The first donated property is Cala Junco, at the western end of the island of Panarea in Sicily; followed by the Monastero di Torba, a complex of Roman origin in Varese, Lombardy, and the Castello di Avio, with an 11th century keep at the foot of the Val Lagarina (Trentino).
1985
The first major restoration
The Monastery of Torba, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, is the first property we restored. Eight years of work brought to light the walls of the Roman outpost and the 8th/9th century Lombard frescoes.
1993
The first FAI Spring Day
The doors of 90 sites in 32 cities are opened for the first time. Thus is born a key FAI event, which after 25 editions counts 11,000,000 visitors and involves 138,000 volunteers.
2001
Creation of Friends of FAI
At the behest of President Giulia Maria Crespi and Marchesa Bona Frescobaldi, a New York-based organisation is created to raise funds for FAI's restoration projects and activities.
2003
The Places I Love are born
Italians are asked to express their opinions on the places they hold most dear and would like to save by voting for them in the Places I Love census (I Luoghi del Cuore). The first edition counted 24,200 votes. In 2020 there will be almost 2.4 million.
2010
The first new President: Ilaria Borletti Buitoni
After 35 years dedicated to leading FAI with great dedication and energy, Giulia Maria Crespi leaves the position of President to Ilaria Borletti Buitoni, and takes on the role of Honorary President.
2012
Establishment of FAI UK - Italian Heritage Trust
The UK-registered charity FAI UK is created with the aim of promoting FAI in the UK and raising funds for the Trust.
2012
Establishment of FAI Swiss
In the same year, the FAI Swiss Foundation is created in Lugano with the aim of raising funds and promoting FAI's activities in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. In 2014, a second delegation is created in Geneva with the same purpose.
2013
The passing of the baton: Professor Andrea Carandini
Professor Andrea Carandini, an Italian archaeologist and former President of the Consiglio Superiore dei Beni Culturali from 2009 to 2012, takes over as President.
2014
The first strategic plan
Dreams become concrete goals: a 2014 to 2023 strategic plan is drawn up, a tool for assessing progress and achievements and for reaching targets on schedule.
2016
150,000 members
Just over 40 years after its foundation, FAI reached 150,000 members: a community of lovers of the history, art and landscape of our country.
2017
The first productive asset
The Saline Conti Vecchi, historic salt pans on the outskirts of Cagliari that are still in operation, are opened to the public and enhanced thanks to an experimental project designed together with Eni.
More than 48 years of concreteness
72 places saved; 56 monumental and natural heritage sites regularly open to the public; 16 sites under restoration; 84.726 square metres of historic buildings protected; over 143.6 million euros raised and invested in restoration projects serving the community.
More than 12.500.000 visitors to our properties; 268.795 members; 287 employees (full-time equivalents); 19 Regional Presidencies; 19 Regional Secretariats; 132 Delegations; 93 FAI Groups; 110 FAI Youth Groups in 20 Italian regions; 3 overseas Groups; 3 FAI Culture Bridging Groups; more than 11.716 volunteers.
8.628.362 square metres of protected landscape; 922.000 square metres of productive agricultural land saved (olive groves, citrus groves, vineyards, etc.); 2.946.000 square metres of protected woodsforests; 1.250.000 square metres of mountain pastures; 500.000 square metres of gardens and historical parks enhanced; over 2.500 valuable specimens of trees preserved; 11.280 olive trees preserved throughout Italy.
40.000 antique books; 30.000 art objects catalogued and protected.
More than 4 million students involved; more than 839.000 students enrolled in FAI with their class.
15 editions of art history courses organised over 21 years; 688 lectures; almost 11.540 participants; more than 3300 students; over 520 speakers involved; 126 publications edited by FAI; 70 degree theses on FAI properties;
31 editions; 12.515.000 visitors in total; more than 15.540 places open to the public and enhanced; 6.806 cities involved; 160.560 volunteers involved in all editions.
More than 39.500 Places I Love (I Luoghi del Cuore) voted in ten editions of the Census; more than 11.100.000 votes collected; 1.500.638 votes and more than 6.508 municipalities involved in the tenth edition of the Places I Love Census (2020); 139 Places I Love in 19 Italian regions for which FAI promoted an intervention.
165 emergencies in the area taken on by FAI over the last three years, of which 32 have been resolved and 64 are still under investigation; 81 places representing collective identity at risk, which FAI Delegations are engaged to protect through the "Puntiamo i riflettori" project.
More than 600 supporting companies each year, of which 465 are registered in the Corporate Golden Donor programme; partnerships with hundreds of institutions, from ministries to regions, from municipalities to local associations.
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