Sustainability, transparency and dedication as the foundation of our results. A reflection on the success of the financial year 2018.

We would like to say an enormous thank you to all the lovers of Italy who have shown their commitment to the country and who have considered FAI their ally in the mission to defend, protect and promote the historic, natural and artistic heritage of the country. By the end of December 2018, FAI had reached 191,000 members. We would like to thank each and every one of them; we consider them close friends, who give us the strength and courage to move forward with our work.

This year’s annual report once again demonstrates the success of the Foundation:

• The profits continue to grow, reaching 29 million euros (In 2014, the first year of the nine-year strategic plan, they were 19 million)

• We can rely on 2018’s profit of around a million euros to be able to complete the restoration and enhancement of Giacomo Leopardi’s  Colle dell’Infinito  (the hill about which the romantic poet wrote a poem that all Italians learn at school) at Recanati over the course of 2019

• Around 5 million euros was invested in restoration projects over the course of the financial year 2018

Sustainability is a word that has become a mantra for FAI. We want all our activities to be sustainable, so we have aimed to make every new property opened to the public in 2018 conform with this. We have invested a great deal in our organisation to make it more efficient and readier to tackle future challenges. Around 870,000 people have come to visit our properties and they have been delighted by the quality of welcome they have received, and our guides’ informed and lively stories about them.

FAI properties were given a rating of 4.6 on a scale of 1-5 in the survey of our visitors, which shows their esteem and gratitude for the work of our organisation.

A particular mention must go to the important work of FAI’s Delegations, our dense network of volunteers who work tirelessly all over Italy to promote and protect the rich historic and artistic heritage of Italy. They are in charge of, and therefore deserve the credit for, the great success of the FAI Spring and Autumn Days.

The Annual Report contains the information demonstrating our financial transparency, which we consider indispensable for a Foundation that has reached our size, and which meets the requirements of Italy’s law governing the non-profit sector. This demands that large-scale organisations fulfil certain obligations in the drafting and publishing of their accounts and mission balance sheets.

There is still a long way to go, but with the support of committed individuals, corporations and institutions we will continue to grow and take better and better care of Italy.