Villa della Porta Bozzolo – Casalzuigno

Origins
FAI (Fondo per L’Ambiente Italiano) is a non-profit foundation set up in 1975 for the protection and development of Italy’s environmental and cultural heritage. Over the years, generous support from a great many citizens and enterprises has enabled FAI to manage and maintain castles, villas, parks, natural areas and landscapes of uncontaminated beauty, for the long-term benefit of everyone.

Shared Vision
The partnership between the Zegna family and FAI goes back to 1987, when brothers Angelo and Aldo were co-founders of the group of art patrons known as the “FAI 200”. Since the early 2000s, Fondazione Zegna has shared FAI’s mission to promote a culture of respect for Italy’s nature, art, history and traditions and to safeguard a heritage that’s a fundamental part of our roots and our identity. Since 2009, Fondazione Zegna president Anna Zegna has also been a director of FAI.

Projets
Fondazione Zegna and FAI have rescued and injected new life into some of Italy’s finest landscape treasures. One of their most recent projects is the environmental requalification and promotion of the Punta Mesco nature reserve in the Parco delle Cinque Terre, where the “Case Lovara” rural buildings have been renovated and now operate as a powerful sustainability workshop. The project was mentioned in the 2021 National Landscape Awards as an experimental and sustainable model for the recovery of historic rural landscapes in protected areas.

In 2014, Panorama Day, an annual event held in September, was launched to encourage observation and understanding of relationships between humans and the rest of nature. On the first Panorama Day, Oasi Zegna was granted FAI patronage in recognition of its virtuous operation over the years in line with FAI’s ideals and mission.

Panorama Day is just one of the events in which Casa Zegna and Oasi Zegna are active during FAI’s Spring Days and Autumn Days in collaboration with “apprentice guides” from local schools.