Giulia Maria Crespi, founder of FAI, dies at 97

Giulia Maria Crespi, the founder and honorary president of FAI – Fondo Ambiente Italiano, died in Rome at age 97. Born into a prominent Lombard industrial family, she owned the newspaper Corriere della Sera until 1974 and worked as a journalist. Her passion for cultural heritage was inspired by her teacher Fernanda Wittgens, superintendent at Brera. In the 1950s she joined Italia Nostra, and in 1967 organized the exhibition 'Italia da salvare' with Renato Bazzoni. In 1975, together with Bazzoni, Alberto Predieri, and Franco Russoli, she founded FAI, endowing it with 500 million lire and modeling it on the National Trust. She served as president until 2010, when Ilaria Borletti Buitoni succeeded her, followed by Andrea Carandini; she then became honorary president. Under her leadership, FAI grew to over 100,000 members and later to 213,815 members in 2019, with 7,000 volunteers. She also championed biodynamic agriculture. Her autobiography 'Il mio filo rosso' was published by Einaudi in 2015.