In the middle of Via Condotti, a fan-shaped necklace and earrings attract the gaze of thousands of tourists who walk along the most glamorous street in Rome, where the Bulgari flagship store is located. The design of these pieces from the Diva’s Dream collection recalls the pure and perfect lines of the mosaics of the Caracalla baths, one of the historical monuments of the Italian capital that the luxury jewelry brand restored between 2015 and 2016. The relationship of Bulgari with the Eternal City is long and constant, a link of inspiration but also of patronage. And now it has become more established with the creation of the Bulgari Foundation, which was presented this Holy Week at the Ara Pacis, the altar consecrated to Emperor Augustus, which is one of the most iconic monuments in Rome.
Bulgari, which also financed the renovation of the Spanish Steps, the most famous and cinematic in Europe and visible from the same store on Via Condotti, has always claimed that the architectural and cultural wealth of Rome is the source of its drink their exclusive designs. The brand that was born in 1884 has now taken a step forward with the announcement of this foundation that aims to “return to Rome everything that Rome has given to Bulgari”, in the words of Jean Christophe Babin, CEO of the Roman house and president of the Bulgari Foundation, at a press conference held at the Ara Pacis, where he was accompanied by Roberto Gualtieri, mayor of Rome, and Claudio Parisi Presicce, the Capitoline superintendent of Cultural Heritage.
The Bulgari Foundation will perpetuate the altruistic vocation of the house around three axes: art and patronage; education, philanthropy and inclusion; and the training and transmission of savoir-faire (know how). “The foundation is born from a legal structure independent of Bulgari and its statutes, and will allow patronage activities to be organized separately from both its business part and economic cycles,” details Babin, reiterating the powerful “exemplary collaboration” between the public and the private that over the years has led the house to actively support various monument rehabilitation works.
In the field of artistic patronage, the maison, as Roberto Gualtieri recalled, has contributed to the restoration of six monuments in the last decade. It is no coincidence that the Ara Pacis – to which Bulgari has contributed with the financing of the lighting project – was chosen for the presentation of the foundation’s birth, which is located a few steps from the Bulgari hotel inaugurated in June 2023 and opposite to the Museum of the Mausoleum of Augustus, now fenced and closed for renovation works, which is one of the most recent patronage agreements of the house. The renovation of the Mausoleum museum, one of the most iconic spaces of ancient Rome, bears the signature of the prestigious architect Rem Koolhaas and will be completed in 2026, which will return to Rome, along with the restoration and improvement works of Piazza Augusto Imperatore , one of its most emblematic places of its historical heritage.
“Rome will receive a beautiful square that will connect the ancient level with the modern one, which had been separated for years. It will be an extraordinary place that will have the mausoleum in the center, the largest in Rome, even larger than the Castel Sant’Angelo in diameter and size, which will allow us to appreciate its structure and history,” says Gualtieri, proud of the commitment of the great Italian companies with the conservation of cultural legacy. In addition to Bulgari, for example, fashion brands Fendi and Tod’s made great contributions to restoring Roman symbols such as the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum, respectively.
The day of the Bulgari Foundation presentation was very rainy in Rome, but tourists braved the downpour to admire the Vittoriano, the national monument to the former King Victor Emmanuel II, another symbol of Italian culture whose sculptures are being restored by the house, as reported on the signs seen by curious pedestrians. Bulgari has also been responsible for the rehabilitation of the 90 Greek and Roman statues in the Torlonia collection and for most of the restoration project of the Sacred Area of ??Largo di Torre Argentina, a work accessible since last summer “and which has already registered the entry of more than 65,000 people, making it one of the most visited monuments in the capital and which has contributed more than 110,000 euros to the city’s coffers,” says Parisi Presicce in the monumental setting of the Ara Pacis.
“We have always considered it our duty to give something back to the cultural heritage of Rome that inspires our maison,” says Babin. But despite the artistic value of its jewelry and the zeal to help preserve the history of Rome, the second pillar of the foundation is made up of education, philanthropy and inclusion, recalls its president. “Generosity has always been a trademark of Bulgari, which for decades has produced initiatives aimed at cultural dissemination and various solidarity projects,” recalls Babin.
The Bulgari Foundation will articulate its commitment to education under the sign of inclusion and maintaining equal opportunities for all and this will translate into an important contribution to charitable organizations that fight against poverty and discrimination, and helping to maintain public education and health care. Furthermore, Babin confirmed that he will continue the collaboration between Bulgari and the Save the Children organization, which has been active for fifteen years.
Among other initiatives, Aurora, the award created by Bulgari in 2016 to reward talented women from different sectors, will grow to become an official platform for valuing pioneering female voices, inspiring female entrepreneurs and creating virtuous circles of ideas and innovative actions.
The Bulgari Foundation will also dedicate efforts to support traditional craftsmanship, guaranteeing its transmission to future generations with existing or new associations that will serve as a bridge for educational and training projects focused on the dissemination of know-how. ). The idea is that this project creates professional opportunities for the young generations, for example, through the Bulgari Jewelry Academy, a training course in which the new generation of the Valenza Manufacture learns specific artisan techniques from Bulgari and the Metier d ‘Excellence LVMH.
For the recovery of traditional trades, La Scuola Bulgari, the first training school for external students, will be established. “Rome will also be the world capital of training young people in fine jewelry and watchmaking, all this will allow us to preserve this tradition of know-how,” emphasizes Roberto Gualtieri, the mayor of Rome, the city that radiates beauty in constant evolution and that Bulgari has known how to capture, live and breathe.
